PWD yet to start paper work

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, October 25

The PWD is yet to start the paper work for handing over the roads declared as National Highways by Union Minister for Surface Transport, Nitin Gadkari, during his recent visit to Kangra district, to national highways department. Inquires by The Tribune have revealed that to date even the revenue papers of the land of the state highways that were declared as national highways have not been sought by the state government. The preliminary procedure for declaration of a state highway as national highway was the transfer of land to the national highways department of the union government. Once the land was transferred the national highways department allocates budget for these roads.

Politics has already started over the issue. The CM has issued a statement that union government has not given any money for preparing the detailed project reports of the declared national highways. The BJP leaders are blaming the state government for the delay.

Nitin Gadkari had announced several new national highways, four-laning of the existing highways and coverage of many roads in the state under the Central Road Fund. The announcements were made mostly on the demand of BJP leaders of state and were seen as preparation of the party for the Assembly elections in the state next year.

Inquiries by The Tribune from senior officials of the PWD, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed that for conversion of any state highway into national highway first of all the state government has to transfer the entire land of the state highway in the name of national highways. The minimum specification of conversion of the state highway to a national highway is that at least about 40 feet road should be transferred by the state in the name of the national highways department.

In a state like Himachal acquisition and transfer the land was a long and cumbersome process. In most of the cases permission has to come from the special empowered committee appointed by the Supreme Court and the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests, the sources here said. The national highway number 501 leading from Nagrota Bagwan to Mubharakpur in Una district was notified in the year 2006. Though 10 years have passed the land acquisition process for widening the road as per the specifications of national highways was still going on.

The Matour-Dharamsala-McLeodganj was also notified as national highway a few years ago. However, till date the government has not been able to acquire and transfer the land the in the name of national highways for the work to start over it.

The Dharamsala-Shimla four-laning was made out as a big achievement by the BJP leaders of the state. The demand was made by the BJP leaders in Hamirpur.

However, the sources in the PWD department said that for the project a consultant would have to be appointed in the initial phase. The union ministry for surface transport would pay some amount to the state PWD for appointment of consultant. The consultants would then prepare a detailed project report of the road. The process may take about two years. After that if the DPR was accepted by the union government state government would have to acquire the land for the project which would involve acquisition of forest land, felling of tree and creation of bypasses through town and cities falling on the road. It was only after that the road could be four-laned.