Dividers removed on highways, guilty to be booked

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, April 2

Deputy Commissioner Manoj Kumar has ordered the registration of FIRs against those who have made illegal cuts at national highways passing through the district.

He has also asked officials of the NHAI to identify those indulging in this unlawful activity so that police action could be taken against them.

Sources said that the order was issued after NHAI officials raised the issue at a meeting of district officials held here on Tuesday. They said that owners of private schools had made illegal cuts at the highways at some places, causing mishaps. Even petrol stations and other business establishments had also made such cuts.

The Deputy Commissioner directed all departments and agencies associated with the Road Safety Programme to get a safety audit done at the earliest so as to find out the causes of the mishap.

The sources said that the Road Safety Association with the help of the Police Department had identified 20 accident-prone places in the district, including the Lakhanmajra Chowk, Kharainti-Rohtak road, Bhagwatipur, Jalebi Chowk, Baba Mastnath University, and the Hanuman Temple at Kharawar village. The officials were directed to make temporary arrangements to check mishaps till the issue of illegal cuts was resolved permanently.

Meanwhile, the DC has sought an explanation from Public Works Department (PWD) officials as to why they did not apply for the removal of trees from the road before initiating the work to widen it near Bhalauth village. He has also directed them to file a permission application for tree cutting immediately.