The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), which is facing people’s opposition over setting up toll plaza at Mudma near Mandar on Ranchi-Daltonganj NH 75 has approached the State government with a plea to end the stalemate.
NHAI officials have asked the district administration to take an initiative in setting up toll plaza after local MLA Bandhu Tirkey came up in support of villagers. The villagers, who are opposing the construction of toll plaza over agricultural land at Mudma on Monday damaged the temporary divider constructed by NHAI.
NHAI Ranchi division project director Ajay Kumar Sinha said, "As locals are opposing the construction of toll plaza, we have urged the district administration to assist us in wake up law and order problem."
The National Highway Authority of India official claimed that for construction of toll plaza the authority requires land having length of 600 metre and width 100 metre. The NHAI has given the tender to Riddhi Sidhi Infraprojects Pvt Ltd for collection of toll at plaza. The company last Thursday started the process of collecting toll from plaza, but due to people’s protest the company suspended the process of collecting toll from plaza.
The agitating villagers when came to know about setting up a temporary toll plaza at Mudma they reached the spot and drove away company staff. The villagers also received support of local MLA Bandhu Tirkey.
Tirkey said, “We are not opposing the construction of toll plaza, but our plea is that the toll plaza must come up on non-agricultural land. The place which has been identified by NHAI for construction of toll plaza is agricultural land. If farmers are driven out from their agricultural land they will have no means of survival."
Tirkey said that NHAI can construct the toll plaza at Teda Bridge near Mandar college having non-agricultural land.
The NHAI six years back started the process of construction of four laning of Ranchi Daltonganj highway, of which a four lane road had been constructed upto Kudu. The work to stretch from Kudu to Daltonganj via Latehar is in process.