Dust clouds on NH pose a health risk

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 7

Driving on the Udhampur-Ramban stretch, which is part of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, is fraught with serious health hazards as clouds of dust envelope the highway due to the faulty four-laning work.

Gammon India, which is the executing agency for the widening of the Udhampur-Ramban section of national highway (NH-1A) in Jammu and Kashmir, had secured the Rs 1,709.99-crore project from National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in September 2015.

“The executing agency has been violating the contract agreement with impunity. There is a provision for the executing agency to control pollution of any sort at the site of construction but clouds of dust, which many a time reduce the visibility to less than 20 meters, not only pose great risk to the health of road users but also make driving dangerous on the highway,” a official told The Tribune.

What is more distressing is that the executing agency does not take any steps to keep a check on heavy dust and suspended particulate matter on the highway.

“Heavy dust and suspended particulate matter have affected the business of all roadside eateries along the highway badly. Road users have stopped halting their journey due to the high level of pollution in the air along the stretch. We also do not know whether our food is hygienic for consumption,” said an dhaba owner at the Narsoo Nullah area.

The dhaba owner said, “When it rains, there is so much slush. The executing agency seems to be least bothered about taking precautionary measures while taking up the widening work.”

A government employee, Pankaj Sharma, said: “There was no visibility on four stretches due to clouds of dust. It has exposed them to breathing problems.”

According to the NHAI, nearly 60 per cent work on the Udhampur-Chenani road stretch has been completed, but the executing agency would not be able to meet the December 2020 deadline.

“There is a provision in the contract agreement to keep a check on the suspended particulate matter while executing the work. We have started laying of bitumen concrete on the Udhampur-Chenani stretch and we are hopeful of controlling the problem (of dust and suspended particulate matter) to nearly 80 per cent by March-end,” said Hemraj, general manager, regional office, NHAI, Jammu.