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| Harsh Dev leads massive protest outside NHAI office | | |  Early Times Report
JAMMU, June 23: Peeved over the slip shod and extremely poor quality of construction work over Jammu-Srinagar National Highway particularly the Udhampur-Chenani stretch and the inordinate delay in its completion, a huge contingent of youth led by Harsh Dev Singh, Former Minister and senior AAP leader held a massive protest demonstration outside the office of Regional Director NHAI office at Jammu today. The protestors raised slogans against NHAI, Gammon India construction company, Ceigal construction company and other agencies responsible for poor quality works resulting in frequent damages, slips, erosions causing road blockades besides frequent accidents on the said Highway. The protestors demanded booking of the concerned officers and contractors on murder charges for the death of 10 labourers who were buried under a tunnel near Ramban recently and death of Mohd Rouf who collapsed on the highway near Samroli due to a huge boulder falling on him while he was commuting on motor bike from Chenani to Udhampur.
Speaking to media persons, Harsh Dev lamented that the Udhampur-Chenani stretch of the road was in complete disarray with around 100 meters of it having been washed away in a single day's rainfall resulting in huge inconvenience to the commuters travelling on day to day. The NHAI and executing agencies have failed to give any convincing logic for the inordinate and inexplicable delay of around 7 years in construction or completion of the 25 km stretch between Udhampur and Chenani. "Particularly affected were those who had to shuttle daily between Udhampur and Chenani due to dilapidated condition of road and lacklustre approach of the executing agencies in showing any progress over the years. The public has been crying hoarse for the last several years due to huge inconvenience in transit and frequent fatal accidents but none has responded to the shrill cries of the affected populace of the area", said Mr. Singh. He regretted that even the Laddan-Seuna PWD road which provided an alternative route to some parts of Chenani had collapsed thereby cutting off Chenani from the rest of the world.
Harsh Dev Singh said that the stretch from Udhampur to Chenani in particular is in complete shambles with even the earlier two lane road having been badly damaged and rendered unfit for traffic. There are frequent landslides with shooting stones hitting the vehicles plying on the road and creating huge risks for the commuters. There are huge traffic jams with vehicles remaining stranded for several hours each day on the same stretch due to dilapidated condition of the road whose plight has worsened due to highly negligent and lackadaisical rather criminal approach of the construction company in executing the said work. Further the valley bound vehicles and other traffic to Doda and Ramban districts and tourist traffic to Patnitop is also delayed by several hours due to the extremely pathetic condition of the road stretch. There are frequent accidents on the road due to its shabby condition. Moreover the resentment among the locals of the area is brewing with each passing day against the executing agencies", divulged Singh.
"And while the construction companies have miserably failed to execute the work, the NHAI is also accountable to the public for having given undue concessions and leverage to them without any justifiable reason. The NHAI and construction companies had assured to pay Rs.15 lacs to those who died in collapse of a tunnel near Khooni Nala Ramban besides Jobs to NOKs of the deceased which has not been done till date. Likewise, Mr. Singh sought ex-gratia of Rs.25 lacs to the NOKs of Mohd Rouf, a young soldier who died on National Highway in transit due to a boulder falling on his head. The affected people have been repeatedly representing the NHAI to take remedial penal action against the said companies besides termination of the contract and its immediate completion but to no avail".
Strongly condemning the apathetic approach of NHAI and executing agencies, Singh called for immediate remedial action to stem the rot failing which the people would be forced to gherao the concerned authorities besides approaching the Central Vigilance Organizations.
Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included Rajesh Padgotra, Gagan Pratap Singh, Rampaul Sharma, Khajoor Singh, Rashpaul Singh, Nand Lal, Omkar Sharma, Sunil Singh, Ajay Singh, Anil Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Jagdev Singh, Satpaul Singh, Ishan Gill besides others. |
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