Delhi-Alwar NH still in dark ages, putting lives of residents, commuters in danger

Tribune News Service

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram, March 13

While the BJP is patting its back for the state-of-art Dwarka Expressway, Congress leader and Nuh MLA Aftab Ahmed has drawn government’s attention to the ‘pitiable’ condition of the Delhi-Alwar National Highway 248A. Ahmed said while the state government was busy with multicrore expressway projects, it had not spared a thought for the national highway connecting Nuh to Rajasthan, popularly known as the ‘bloody highway’. According to Ahmed, the highway which is two-lane for a majority of the stretch, has so far claimed 2,500 to 3,000 lives and double-engine BJP government continued to sleep.

“It is a sad state of affairs that while they continue announce new projects and celebrate expressways like Dwarka or Mumbai expressway, they do not think about this highway lying a few kilometres away. The ignorance towards the highway, which is the lifeline of the backward district Nuh, highlights the government’s bias. Over the last nine years, people took to roads to protest, but to no avail. The Congress had announced upgradation of the highway but the project was shelved,” said Ahmed.

Ahmed said the BJP shelved the upgrade in 2018 and since 2019, the demand was raised in every assembly session but was ignored.

One of the key issues plaguing the highway is the unchecked plying of illegal dumpers who are the key culprits in a majority of accident cases. The road is also a dust bowl and the nearby villagers have repeatedly complained of the poor air quality and it was the Malab villagers who had the MLA to review the situation on ground. It may be noted that the highway had hit headlines during Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, where he had highlighted the number of potholes there.

“Former CM Khattar came here to promise no bias and left without a word on the road. Even if they can’t make a new highway, they should repair it. The public’s patience is dying and they will soon take to roads to protest,” warned Ahmed.

“Every third house in the villages here has lost a family member to this bloody highway. It has been over a decade that they have told us it would be four-laned, will have lights and dumpers will be banned, but nothing happened. We cannot bear this anymore and block the road if it is not repaired,” Panchayat of Malb village said in a statement.

Cause of rising accidents

• The BJP shelved the upgradation in 2018 and ever since 2019, in the demand was raised every assembly session but was ignored.
• One of the key issues plaguing the highway is unchecked plying of illegal dumpers who are the key culprits in majority of accident cases.
• The road is also a dust bowl and the nearby villagers have repeatedly complained of the poor air quality.

Continuous ignorance

It is a sad state of affairs that while they continue announce new projects and celebrate expressways like Dwarka or Mumbai expressway. The ignorance towards the highway, which is the lifeline of the backward district Nuh, highlights the government’s bias.In the last nine years, people took to roads to protest but to no avail. Congress had announced upgradation of the highway but the project was shelved. — Aftab Ahmed, Nuh MLA

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