Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat sounded displeased over the slow progress regarding the widening work of NationalHighway between Dehradun and Haridwar being carried out by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) with the work going on for the past several years.
He said the work must be completed by the end of this year. Also, he asked the NHAI officials during a meeting held on Tuesday to state the safety measures they have put into place regarding the accidents occurring frequently along the stretch while instructing the PWD officers to go for weekly inspection to review progress of the work.
He stressed on the project being completed without further delay. He further said he would personally convene a review meeting every fourth Wednesday from June. He made it clear that from now onwards, the executing agency tasked with the project would be held accountable for any accident that might occur due to its negligence.
The CM asked the NHAI officials sternly to spell out what kind of works they have been doing. “Do you have statistics about the accidents happening due to potholes and the work left unfinishedIJ Can we tell me about the preventive measures the officials have taken so far and about the measures they would take in the coming days with the accident spree continuingIJ” he asked, leaving the officials fumbling for answers.
CM instructed the head of PWD to appoint an officer who will review the work on a weekly basis following personal visit to the site. The DMs and SSPs of Dehradun and Haridwar have been instructed to be vigilant on the work and to fix accountability of the accidents that might occur thanks to negligence.
During the meeting, NHAI officials sought to explain the delay by ascribing it to the problem they are facing in collecting construction materials required for the work. CM assured them that the construction materials would be arranged by the Government as per the law.
He at the same time warned that illegal mining should not be resorted to under the guise of the construction work. “It is true that we need roads but not at the cost of the environment and sanctity of the rivers we revere,” he said.
He also asked the officers concerned to discuss with Garhwal Mandal Vikash Nigam (GMVN) and the forest department so that they could provide them with the construction materials promptly. He further said that DMs of both Dehradun and Haridwar districts would allow them to dig as per the environment protect law. “They will also issue permits for ferrying construction materials from one place to another,” he said, adding that the police would facilitate such transportation throughout the day while keeping the local factors in view.
Notably, NHAI officials said that the no- entry boards being put up by police were blocking transportation of the construction materials. CM said that DIG Garhwal has been instructed to coordinate with them to spare them the trouble on that count
Referring to the frequent shifting of the electricity wires due to the widening of the road, CM instructed the power department to shift high tension lines in the next 25 days.
He stressed that a big project would not be allowed to get inordinately delayed in the interest of the state. He instructed the chief secretary to coordinate with other departments engaged in the project to see to it that things do not linger. He also asked Dehradun and Haridwar DMs to monitor the work at regular intervals and to ensure that the work is completed where there is no dispute blocking the work.
Among others present at the meeting were the chief secretary S Ramaswami, ACS PWD Omprakash, Dehradun DM SA Murugeshan and Haridwar DM Deepak Rawat aside from some senior NHAI officers.