Shimla panchayats bear the brunt of four-lane construction

Damage and threat to houses, dumping of muck in forest, grasslands and farm land have emerged as major concerns of the people of the panchayats around Shimla due to the ongoing four-lane work during the joint visit of the National Highway Authority officials and gram panchayat representatives to the affected panchayats. The joint teams have been visiting the affected panchayats from Kaithlighat till Dhalli, the last stretch of the Kalka-Shimla four-lane.

The joint teams today visited three affected panchayats, namely Kot, Pujarli and Mehli, and heard the grievances of the people of these panchayats. “We had three all-weather natural springs in our village but these have dried up following the construction of a tunnel. Apparently, the water has changed its course due to the tunnel,” said Hiranand Shandil, the former pradhan of gram panchayat Kot.

“This water was used for irrigation of vegetables and drinking purpose. Now, people do not have adequate water in the village,” he said. The other person from the panchayat said that the four-lane has gone right through the middle of his house and farmland, and he has no access to his field.

In Pujarli panchayat, people are alleging that the “reckless construction” has endangered houses as well as their grasslands and fields. A school building has collapsed, one house has developed cracks and muck has slipped down to the fields of the people living close to the nullah. “Damages apart, the officials and their people working on the ground do not even listen to us,” said a woman, pointing to the earth-moving machine working in a deep gorge, from where muck was slipping down into the forest.

Himachal Kisan Sabha president Kuldeep Tanwar, who is also part of the joint team, said the cutting of the hills and dumping were wreaking havoc on both ecology and the livelihood of the people. “During these visits, people are bringing up their specific issues to the notice of NHAI. Also, the issues that could be resolved at this level are being resolved,” said Tanwar.

“For instance, a person’s house is about to collapse in Shoghi but the NHAI was not compensating him as it was told that the house was on village common land. We looked at the revenue papers and found that the house was on private land. So, he will be compensated now. The policy issues will be raised at the government level,” said Tanwar.

Meanwhile, NHAI Project Director Anand Kumar said that the grievances shared by the people would be forwarded to the construction companies. “We’ve always listened to the grievances of the people, and have taken appropriate action to address their concerns,” said the Project Director.