NHAI covers one sewage pit in Kharar, leaves another open

Mohali, May 13

Three days after two scooter-borne schoolchildren fell in an uncovered storm water drain on the main Kharar-Landran road, the National Highway Authority of India today covered the drain with cement slabs. However, another pit, barely 10 metres away, was left untouched.

The highway authority’s half-hearted approach is a clear indicator of how much disinterest it has towards road users’ safety besides its lackadaisical approach to secure its jurisdiction.

Road users and local residents panned the NHAI for utter disregard to public safety and demanded action against the erring officials.

“This stretch of road from Kharar to Landran gets waterlogged at several places during rain. This is the state of affair before rains,” said a road user, who commutes on this stretch daily.

The Kharar Municipal Council had cleared the blockage in the line after it was found clogged with sewage discharged by a builder nearby. The oversized pit alongside the main road near the entrance of Swaraj Enclave was virtually a death trap at the turn.

However, another portion of the drain, barely metres away from the first one, has been left uncovered by NHAI officials today.