Motor mechanics await rehabilitation

The much-awaited transport nagar, supposed to come up on the Kather bypass, yet to come up

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No rehabilitation plan

— Flip-flop over who would set up the much-awaited transport nagar and lack of budgetary support delayed its setting up.

— The delay is not only giving anxious moments to the displaced motor repair mechanics, many of whom had lost their jobs, but also exposed the lack of rehabilitation plan whenever such projects are conceived by the government.

— Though workshop owners did receive compensation the workers who lost their jobs were the worst hit.

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, January 29

The much-awaited transport nagar, which was supposed to come up on the Kather bypass here to rehabilitate motor showrooms displaced due to the four-laning, is yet to come up.

As per the plan, 135 showrooms and 140 workshops were to come up on 15,417 sq m area and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had laid its foundation stone in April 2018.

The displaced employees of motor workshops, who earlier operated from Chambaghat, were yet to get a proper place to operate while some of them got employed at motor repair workshops which opened at other places.

Flip-flop over who would set up the much-awaited transport nagar and lack of budgetary support delayed its setting up. The state government finally decided that the Transport Department would set it up in September last year.

Earlier, the Urban Development (UD) Department was supposed to construct it and bear its expenditure which was pegged at Rs 21.22 crore. Even a detailed project report after incurring an expenditure of Rs 31 lakh was prepared. However, the UD department refusal landed the district administration in a piquant situation. The case was then referred to the state government.

ADM Solan, Vivek Chandel, when contacted, said that the case to transfer the land from the UD Department to the Transport Department had been sent to the government. As soon as the case was approved work would be undertaken to set up the transport nagar.

The delay is not only giving anxious moments to the displaced motor repair mechanics, many of whom had lost their jobs, but also exposed the lack of rehabilitation plan whenever such projects are conceived by the government. Though workshop owners did receive compensation the workers who lost their jobs were the worst hit.