The Kandoliya-Bhangrao-Nankot motor road stretching over nearly three kilometers, which was sanctioned over three years ago is yet to be completed due to alleged apathy of some forest and PWD officials. This road was sanctioned during the regime of the former Chief Minister Maj Gen Bhuwan Chandra Khaduri. The road when completed would link the village of late Dalbir Singh, freedom fighter associated with Azad Hind Fauj and a close associate of Subash Chandra Bose, to the district headquarters Pauri.
The main hurdle to the construction of the road is a cluster of trees-191 trees- coming in its alignment. It is learnt that the said road was cleared under the Forest Conservation Act by then Union government nearly two years ago. The Centre also green- signaled the felling of tress to make way for the road. But things kept stagnating due to the indifferent attitude of the divisional forest logging department, alleged the people who would be benefited by the road.
Quizzed over the delay, executive engineer PWD provincial division, Nirbhaiya Singh said that the main hurdle coming in the way of cutting the trees was theirs being located on private lands. “As the department has only one Amin the process of giving compensation to the owners of the lands where the tress are located is taking time. But things would be completed and the construction of the road will be started soon,” the official said.
However, things looked up as the district magistrate Chandra Sekhar Bhatt expressed anger over the dillydallying approach of the divisional forest logging department officers and asked them to cut the tress immediately to ensure the construction of the long-awaited road starts without further delay.
DM asked them to confirm how many days it would take to have the trees cut. DlM Forest Jetendra Kumar said that it would be completed in fifteen days. It is learnt that the process of cutting the tress is now underway.