Nagpur News: The under-construction National Highway into a four-lane highway is hogging the limelight, albeit, on dirty political and poor quality fronts. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has given a contract to a Delhi-based company which is otherwise competent technologically, and humanly having a battery of skilled manpower.
The Delhi Company is being blamed for committing massive irregularities in the construction of the four-lane National Highway on the stretch from Nagpur to Baitul. The Maharashtra Secretary of All India Human Rights Monitoring Committee Lalsingh Thakur, District Secretary of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Sinu Viyanwar, and the member of Saoner Panchayat Committee Kishore Chaudhary informed the Nagpur Today that, according to Central Government’s notification, it was made mandatory for the company to construct a divider in the middle of the four-lane National Highway in the size of 12-14 feet broad. The notification had also made it a mandatory for the company plant saplings of trees on both the sides as well as on the divider of the four-lane National Highway.
According to Thakur, Viyanwar, and Chaudhary, the company has duly constructed the divider in proper size as per the directive of the notification on the stretch of the National Highway in the Assembly segments of Baitul, Amala, Multai, Pandhurna, and Saunsar of Madhya Pradesh, and Saoner Assembly segment in Maharashtra. However, the company is depriving of the divider on the stretch of National Highway passing from Nanda Rehabilitation to Koradi-Mahadula, Panjra, Urja Nagar, Vidya Nagar areas. The said stretch of National Highway is always flooded with heavy traffic since the areas are thickly populated because of Koradi Thermal Power Station and several coal mines are based in the region.
The company, however, has constructed, a divider of one meter width from Nanda to Vidya Nagar, and the Outpost only which may prove fatal as far as road traffic and protection of environment rules and regulations are concerned. The possibilities road accidents increasing manifold claiming several vehicle owners have been anticipated by Thakur, Viyanwar, and Chaudhary.
They charged that the some NHAI officials, who are under the influence of either top guns of political parties or traders’ community, are carrying out the construction work of four-lane National Highway violating the rules and regulations laid down specifically for construction of four-lane roads. According to Environment Ministry directives, the usage of ash, sand, murrum (Small crushed stones) must be mixed properly and a thick layer of the mixed material should be laid on the road which help in keeping the road cool from inside. But the company and NHAI authorities are selectively neglecting the Environment Ministry directives with impunity, the trio claimed.
“But the under pressure authorities of both the Delhi company and of the NHAI have been found non-usage of ash in the construction. Thakur, Viyanwar, and Chaudhary have urged State as well as Central Government to monitor construction of the four-lane National Highway on the stretch of road from Nanda Rehabilitation Centre to Mental Hospital on Manakpur Road in Nagpur on the lines of construction of four-lane Baitul, Amala, Multai, Pandhurna, and Saunsar National Highway like 12-14 feet broad divider, planting saplings of trees on both sides of the road and on divider, following the road traffic and environment protection rules and regulations.
The trio, Thakur, Viyanwar, and Chaudhary, have warned that if the construction of four-lane National Highway is not carried out with all rules and regulations, directives from Environment Ministry, then they will knock the doors of High Court in this regard.
