STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Strongly condemning the in-ordinate delay in the initiation of construction work over Basantgarh-Khaned Road, Harsh Dev Singh, JKNPP Chairman and former Minister on Thursday lambasted the BJP leadership for depriving the remote area villages of their right to connectivity for their petty political interests. He said that the construction work which was to commence six months back with all the requisite formalities having been completed in April, 2017 was inordinately delayed by the vested interests on the plea that the afore said construction work would be inaugurated by the minister and did not allow the contactor to start work.
Having made the people of the concerned area to wait for several months even after allotment of work to executing agency, it was announced by the PMGSY Department that MoS, R&B would lay the foundation stone on October 12, 2017 and accordingly all sectoral officers were directed to be present along with the executing agency. On the scheduled date however the minister failed to show up and the work could not take off despite the contractor having mobilised his men and machinery on the spot, lamented Harsh. He disclosed that the contractor who was suffering losses due to the machinery laying idle at Basantgarh due the instructions of the Department to commence work only after foundation stone laying by Minister, apprised the Department of the losses sustained by him and also his programme to commerce the construction work on October 15. He regretted that when the contractor reached the site of construction work on October 15 where a gathering of around two thousand people had assembled, the local and police administration threatened the contractor of dire consequences in case he commenced the work. He was threatened by police administration not to appear on the construction site until and unless the construction work was formally inaugurated by the minister and local MLA.
Regretting that neither the minister had the time and nor did the work commence, the people of villages of Khaned, Mang, Sang, Loudra, Arthal and Punara comprising population of around 20,000 souls were left to suffer thus forcing them to take to indefinite strikes and Bandhs in Basantgarh with no takers for their concerns.
Supporting the agitating people of the affected villages, Harsh Dev Singh cautioned the government of grave consequences including Gherao of R&B Minister and PMGSY functionaries in case the construction work was not started immediately. He said that it was unique in the history of the State that a public utility project had been delayed for so long to the utter chagrin of the legitimate beneficiaries of the scheme, only because the minister and the MLA concerned did not have the time to lay the foundation stone.
Strongly condemning the deprivation of the poor people of the remotest villages of Tehsil Basantgarh of their legitimate rights of communication links, Singh cautioned that any neglect of the backward and far flung areas on communal considerations would be strongly resisted. He said that a regular calendar of protests on day to day basis shall be announced in case the work on the afore said road was not commenced immediately and action taken against those who were threatening the contractor and the labour force.
