Cong MLA’s fast unto death against ‘unscientific’ widening of NH-3 enters day 3, refuses to meet MoRTH officials

The four-laning of the NH-3, which connects Amritsar, Jalandhar, Mandi, Manali and Leh and passes through the Dharampur Assembly constituency, was started in 2021, but is yet to be completed.

The hunger strike gathered momentum as hundreds of locals, including women and children, from nearby villages gathered at the protest site to support the legislator.

Chander Shekhar, a first-time MLA from Dharampur, told The Indian Express, “The stretch between Hamirpur and Mandi, which has affected our area, is being looked after by the NH-MoRHT. MoRTH officials have been trying to communicate with me since I sat on the indefinite hunger strike, but I refused. There is no point in meeting them at this time. I have been pleading with them, along with hundreds of people, for the past three years. There is not a single NHAI officer in the region whom we did not meet, but all in vain. I believe this matter will be resolved only after the intervention of Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.”

Explaining his anguish towards National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials’ “apathy”, the MLA said, “Some villages are not completely disconnected from the link roads due to unscientific widening of the NH. The construction work is being carried out by the same private company, M/s Gawar Shimla Highways Pvt Ltd, which was recently accused of the unscientific cutting of hills at the Shimla Bypass from Dhalli to Kathlighat in Shimla near Chamyana. A five-storey building collapsed due to unscientific cutting on June 30.”

Surjeet Singh Thakur of Barnal village said, “Of around 14 villages, our village is the worst-affected. We have to park our vehicles around 1km outside the village. For the past one and a half months, there has not been an LPG gas supply to our village due to the road disconnection. Ava Dhevi, Rakho, Tolthra, Rakho, Sarkaghat, Longni and Barnal are among several other affected villages.”

When contacted, MoRTH chief engineer Anil Kushwaha said that he had told the area project director to communicate with the protesting people. “Our people are trying to redress their grievances. Due to the recent incessant rains, roads were damaged throughout the state. We are in the process of repairing the damaged roads,” Kushwaha said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh spoke to Chander Shekhar to ascertain his well-being.

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