Cong seeks adequate relief for fourlane hit

Nurpur, February 17

The Congress has demanded adequate compensation for the land to be acquired before laying the foundation stone of the Pathankot-Mandi four-lane project.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, Ajay Mahajan, general secretary, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), said that Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari was scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the proposed Pathankot-Mandi four-lane project on February 24, but the state government as well as the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had neither acquired the land nor settled the compensation amount. “In such circumstances, laying of the foundation stone seems to be a political gimmick in the wake of forthcoming Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

The HPCC general secretary said the Four-lane Sangharsh Samiti had been struggling for minimum displacement of the people affected by the project and compensation under Factor 2 of the Land Acquisition Act, but the state government was not serious on these issues.

He said that thousands of families affected by the project had been spending sleepless nights for the past one year. — OC