Damaged service roads on NH-44 irk Samalkha residents
Mukesh Tandon
Panipat, April 18
The damaged service roads on both sides of NH-44 in Samalkha town have become a major problem for residents as well as for commuters for the past one-and-a-half-year. The residents have raised the issue with the authorities several times, but to no avail.
Now, the residents formed a 21-member Samalkha Bachao Sangharsh Samiti on Sunday to begin a movement against the lackadaisical attitude of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Dusty roads polluting environment
Life of residents of Samalkha has become miserable due to potholed roads of the city. The environment of the city is dusty and polluted. The business of shopkeepers has slowed down due to the pathetic condition of roads on both sides. Traffic jams can be seen most of the time on both sides. PP Kapoor, Samalkha activist
The widening of the 70-km stretch on NH-44 from Mukarba Chowk in Delhi to Panipat has been underway for the past five years. Earlier, the construction of flyovers in Samalkha was almost complete but the construction work of service roads on both sides of NH-44 was pending.
The service roads were uprooted by the contractor company around one-and-a-half year ago, but was not reconstructed.
Thousands of residents of the town, adjoining villages and vehicles crossed through these service roads daily. But the poor condition of the five-km stretch is giving tough time to the commuters.
PP Kapoor, an activist in Samalkha, said the life of residents of Samalkha hadbecome miserable due to potholed roads of the city. The environment of the city is dusty and polluted. The business of shopkeepers has slowed down due to the pathetic condition of roads . Traffic jams can be seen most of the time on both sides, Kapoor alleged.
The contractor has forgotten to repair the uprooted service roads due to which people are inconvenienced in their day to day life, he asserted.
A memorandum has also been submitted to Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Roads, Transport and Highways, NHAI, and district administration. The contractor had started the work some days ago after submitting the memorandum, but he again ran away after leaving the work midway, Kapoor alleged.
The residents of adjoining seven villages and residents of the city held a ‘Jan Panchayat’ at Baldev Dharamshala on Sunday against the pathetic condition of the service roads presided by Naresh Jaurasi. The speakers also condemned the role of Congress MLA Dharam Singh Chhokkar and BJP MP Sanjaya Bhatia.
The people have decided to begin a movement against it and constituted a 21 members ‘Samalkha Bachao Sangharsh Morcha’ here. The morcha will submit a memorandum to the SDM of Samalkha on April 19, he added.
