Slope protection audit by IIT Roorkee at all vulnerable sites in Himachal: Vikramaditya Singh

Amidst mounting public rage against the NHAI's style of functioning in Himachal, the state government and the NHAI have agreed for slope protection audit by IIT Roorkee at all vulnerable sites along road projects, where houses have been endangered.

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In a bid to defuse the situation and prevent further escalation of the situation in wake of thrashing of two NHAI officials here on June 30, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh held a meeting with NHAI officials here today. An FIR has been registered against the Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh, allegedly for beating the NHAI officials.

The minister said the state government has taken strict view of the building collapse here on June 30 and he had conveyed to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari the need to ensure timely redressal of the people’s grievances. “I visited the house collapse site and saw that vertical cutting at 70 per cent degree has been done. We will have to ensure that at vulnerable sites cutting is done at 45 degree slope and not vertical,” he said.

Vikramaditya said the district level committee will prepare a report and the total cost of the building that collapsed. The NHAI had agreed to pay for the total loss. “I have conveyed the concerns of the locals here and from all across the state. Especially, in areas where the NHAI is working outside the acquired width, posing a threat to nearby buildings,” he said. He added that excess dumping of muck by NHAI in road construction was causing damage to the forests and impacting water sources.

He said it is duty of the government to protect the rights of the locals, be it on private or forest land. “However, we do not undermine the important work being done by the NHAI and there is need for proper coordination. At times due to lack of coordination, problems do arise but we must hold dialogue and resolve public grievances,” he said.

Vikramaditya said a state level coordination committee headed by him has been constituted with Secretaries of PWD, Forest, Jal Shakti and NHAI officials to have a mechanism to resolve the people’s issues. “Very soon a meeting will be held to address the issues being raised by the people,” he added.

The minister said the NHAI had agreed to the proposal of involving local people in coordination to resolve the grievances of the locals.