‘Shoddy’ NH work: Nalagarh MLA threatens to move court

SOLAN: Peeved at the “lackadaisical approach” of the state government in completing work on the Nalagarh-Swarghat National Highway, Nalagarh legislator KL Thakur today served a legal notice to the PWD Additional Secretary to either ensure satisfactory completion of the work within 45 days or face a PIL.

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, March 28

Peeved at the “lackadaisical approach” of the state government in completing work on the Nalagarh-Swarghat National Highway, Nalagarh legislator KL Thakur today served a legal notice to the PWD Additional Secretary to either ensure satisfactory completion of the work within 45 days or face a PIL.

Lending support to the cause, nine panchayat pradhans and the BDC chairman demanded a CBI probe into the irregularities in completing the work for which the funds had been made available by the Central Government.

They also demanded the fixation of accountability of officials responsible for the delay and shoddy work undertaken.

Being a key road to the industrial area of Nalagarh, commuters, including industry executives, have been forced to bear the brunt of the incomplete potholed highway.

Several agitations have been held by various politicians, including Thakur, to press for its early completion. Despite the deadline of June 2015, no sizeable progress was visible on the road.

The work began almost seven years ago to concretise this 35-km stretch of road from Nalagarh-Swarghat. The work from Nalagarh to Baglehar was assigned to one contractor, while the remaining Baglehar-Swarghat stretch to another contractor. But despite several agitations by former and sitting MLAs and even the SGPC, the road is yet to be completed.

NHAI officials have also failed to abide by the promises made to the agitating locals from time to time. Even the 5-km stretch between Gujjarhatti-Swarghat-Kundlu is yet to be completed. In February, the Centre sanctioned a sum of Rs 14 crore for the highway work, while another Rs 16.5 crore for land acquisition, though it was the liability of the state government.

The Nalagarh MLA said it was lamentable officials and contractors concerned had failed to abide by the deadline. He said he had taken up the issue with members of the Public Accounts Committee recently where officials had assured of early completion of the road but a little action was seen on the ground.