People belonging to lalkuan have opposed widening of Delhi-lalkuan–Kathgodam national highway accusing the officials concerned of the national highway authority (NHA) of widening the said road arbitrarily.
They have rather suggested that the Government of India should construct a bypass to ‘avoid a large scale damage to properties’ due to this road widening work in the lalkuan area. Concerned with possible damage to their houses and properties following this recent move of the authorities concerned of the NHA, citizens of the lalkuan region have now also sought the intervention of the State Government on this issue. People including members of the lalkuan Vyapar Mandal took up this matter with the State Dairy Development Minister and MlA from lalkuan Harish Chandra Durgapal during his Kumaon visit on Thursday.
The citizens of the lalkuan region are of the view that the aforesaid road is already a four lane road. Therefore there is no need to go for further widening of this highway. The said national highway is presently 19 meter wide and it is already a four lane road.
Even the officials concerned of the NHA earlier promised us to keep into account interests of the locals while widening this national highway, said Ashok Aggarwal, president of the lalkuan Vyapar Mandal, while talking to The Pioneer. But it is quite concerning to note that now the authorities concerned of the NHA are saying that this said road would be widened upto 33 meter. They are conducting survey in this regard. The fact is that in case the road is widened upto 33 meter from its existing width of 19 meter, it would lead major destruction in terms of properties in this area, said Aggarwal.
Therefore, we have strongly demanded that the State Government must take up the matter with the authorities concerned in the Government of India to find a way out. To avoid a large scale damage that is inevitable if the road is widened upto 33 meter, we demand that the Government of India must construct a bypass, said the residents of the lalkuan. In the meanwhile, State Dairy Development Minister and local MlA Harish Chandra Durgapal urged the people of his constituency not to be worried promising them to take up the matter with the officials concerned to find a way out.
Every step in this regard would be taken as per the laid down norms and more importantly keeping in view the interests of the people, he added.