Residents irked over delay in work

Jaswinder Singh Baidwan

Akhran da mureed
Staff member
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The delay in repair of the Nalagarh-Swarghat stretch on National Highway 21-A, despite availability of funds has put a question mark over the functioning of the authorities.
The road connects the industrial hub of Nalagarh with the rest of the region. The lack of timely repair was deteriorating the condition of several bridges located at Nangal and Mahadev villages.
Local MLA KL Thakur said he had taken up the issue in the annual plan of 2013 and even with the Union Minister of Transport, besides raising the issue in the Vidhan Sabha, but to no avail. The Central Government had granted Rs 16.5 crore for its land acquisition, though this is generally the onus of the state government.
“Repeated assurances have been made by the authorities concerned whenever villagers and public representatives protested but a little has been done to complete the repair work. The road has been reduced to a potholed muddy structure where a commuter has to trudge though plumes of mud, causing health issues among the people.”
They suggested that the construction work of the road should be divided into minimum 10 sectors with sufficient machinery and manpower in each sector.
Issues like sprinkling of water regularly on the road surface were mooted but the outcome has been non-satisfactory. The NHAI has engaged two contractors to complete the work and despite its completion, the June, 2015, deadline has lapsed. A sum of Rs 14 crore was sanctioned by the Centre in February last year while another sum of Rs 16.5 crore for land acquisition was also given by the Centre for this the 35-km road.
 
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