Popular folk singer Narendra Singh Negi has said that a CBI inquiry should be conducted into the anomalies in construction of the Dobra Chanthi bridge in Tehri. He said that many crores of rupees had been spent on this project but the completed bridge is nowhere to be seen.
Speaking at a public awareness meet organised at Bauradi in New Tehri by the Dobra Chanthi Pul Banao Sangharsh Samiti (DCPBSS) on Thursday, the folk singer said that delay in construction of the Dobra-Chanthi bridge is causing hardships for residents of Pratapnagar and various villages in the area. Negi further said that crores of rupees had been spent on construction of this bridge but no substantial progress had been achieved in the construction which is surprising.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Vijay Jadadhari of Beej Bachao Andolan alleged that the construction of this bridge had been marred by corruption. He said that the the Dobra-Chanthi bridge had become a milch cow for politicians and Government officials. If the State Government does not pay attention to this and take necessary action soon, people should boycott voting in the 2017 Vidhan Sabha election and come out on the roads to protest, he exhorted. The DCPBSS coordinator Rajeshwar Painyuli said that Government officials and public representatives had been fooling the people of Pratapnagar and villages in the area for the last 10 years regarding construction of this much needed bridge. Delay in construction of this bridge has prevented the required level of development from being achieved in Pratapnagar area, he added.
It is worth mentioning here that work was started in 2006 to link the Tehri dam affected Pratapnagar area with the district headquarters in New Tehri but despite repeated protests by locals, the government has not yet been able to ensure any substantial progress in the construction of this much needed bridge.