Nagpur: The Aam Admi Party (AAP) unit of North Nagpur launched a unique way of protest against NMC’s apathy towards the city-roads bearing pot-holes and risky ditches. The AAP men in protest levelled the pot-holes and ditches of No.10 Bridge area, near Indora Chowk, North Nagpur, on Sept 7, under their mission gadhdhe bujhao–jaan bachao. The AAP protesters also shouted slogans against the NMC administration and NHAI.
It may be mentioned that the roads in North Nagpur have turned so dangerous that road accidents, by way of falling or skidding or collision, have become a routine these days, yet the NMC or NHAI is sheer careless on this count.
There are many roads in North Nagpur which were made about a year ago with the funds obtained from various channels, but these roads are worn out by the first rainfall of the season, which means washing away of public money collected through tax. It also implies that roads were not constructed sincerely due to corrupt mentality of the contractors and in-charge supervisory officials. Had the roads been made honestly, they would have lasted for at least 10 years. But, honesty seems to be impossible due to budgetary provisions and fresh claims for funds in the budget.
Citizens are perplexed as to how the orange city can be made smart city when the local administration has utterly failed to maintain the existing roads. There seems to be no reason to believe that the roads constructed in the smart city will be sustainable to climatic changes. Citizens feel that the BJP governed NMC has taken the roads back to the road-condition even prior to year 2000.
When a delegation met NMC commissioner Shravan Hardikar a couple of days ago to discuss the issue of road construction which raises the height of roads every year, he admitted that the height of roads is raised by 25 to 30 inches in the city. As the height of roads is raised every year, the road-side residential areas become low in terms of level, and rain-water from raised roads gushes into low area including houses or residential colony. Citizen are unable to bear such problems at the cost of their own money collected by the NMC or NIT in the form of tax. Citizens want to know the details of expenditure of their money and also want good roads.
The AAP men have cautioned the local administration that they would not keep quiet unless the condition of roads in city is improved in the interest of the citizens, and in case the circumstances compelled they would intensify their agitation.
Those who participated in the protest included Ashok Mishra, Kavita Singhal, Prabhat Agrawal, Dinesh Pande, Kiran Billor, Satvinder Singh, Dara Singh, Manoj Barghat, Ravinder Girode, Mukesh Kohad, Navneet Belsare, Sunanda Kherkar, Nasir Patel and several others, informed a press note issued by Prabhat Agrawal.
