Blasts for road-widening cause ‘damage’ to Sirmaur school

The safety of the staff and students of Government Primary School, Tikkar, Shillai, is under threat due to the blasting of hills using gelatin rods by a private company that is four-laning the Ashyari-Shri Kyari section of National Highway 707 in Sirmaur district.

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The blasting site lies barely 15-20m away from the school. Each time a blast is undertaken by the company, it creates ripples in the ground, besides causing damage to the building, allege villagers.

Fearing damage to the school building, the headmaster gave a representation to SDM Shillai on May 22 seeking appropriate directions to the company. There are two teachers and 19 students in the school.

Villagers comprising Bhagat Ram, Chater Singh, Rahul Negi and others, who also represented the matter before the Shillai SDM, lamented that the private company HES Infra Private Limited has been using large-scale gelatin to blast the hills instead of adopting safer means to cut the hills. Three days ago, the firm blasted the hills using gelatin, they alleged.

They alleged that more than 100 holes had been dug up to insert gelatin sticks and cause more blasts in the fragile hills near the school. This would cause irreparable damage to the environment while threatening the existence of the hundreds of trees, arable land besides the natural sources of water.

Social activist Nathu Ram Chauhan who was also pursuing a case of ecological disruption of the hills before the National Green Tribunal said it is lamentable that officials have desisted to act against the company though it was recklessly using gelatin to blast the hills which lie in the highly risk-prone seismic zone IV.

The Project Director, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH), which is executing the road-widening work, had been granted permission for controlled blasting on the said stretch of the highway from May 19 to 28 though there was no mention of using gelatin for the work.

The official, in a letter to SDM Shillai dated May 23, however claimed that no controlled blasting has been undertaken owing to public objections and he — on the other hand — sought administrative support to execute it.

Additional District Magistrate, Nahan, LR Verma, confirming it said MORTH has sought administration support for carrying out controlled blasts on the Ashyari-Shri Kyari section of National Highway 707.