Palwal villagers step up agitation for interchange on expressway
Palwal, January 22
Residents and representatives of several areas of the region, protesting to seek the construction of an interchange on the under-construction Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, passing from Mandkola village in the district, have announced to step up the stir by resorting to fast. The sit-in dharna started on January 1 at a spot 20 km from the district headquarters, where the interchange has been demanded. The protest has now entered its fourth week.
“Even after holding a couple of panchayats and submitting a memorandum to the district authorities regarding the demand, no assurance or move has been directed by the authorities concerned, which has made the protesters step up the agitation,” said Mahender Singh Chauhan, a spokesperson of the dharna samiti. He added that no senior official or government representative had approached the protesters for the past three weeks, urging them to go on a fast from January 24. Revealing that one farmer had already lost his life during the protest, he said the residents were united, and affirmed to continue the agitation till the demand was met and groundwork was initiated. Mukesh Dagar, convenor of the samiti, said the dharna was being held with full logistics support from the villages. “The protesters are being provided with food and lodging facilities,” said Rattan Singh Sorot, BKU leader and a representative of the samiti.
“As the spot is a very strategic point in view of its access to a large number of villages located in the Hathin subdivision of Palwal and parts of the Nuh district, the demand for the interchange was justified,” said Karan Dalal, a former MLA, who had also announced his support to agitation. Claiming that the interchange facility would help generating employment in the area marked with acute unemployment, he added that it would also provide an easy access to a large number of commuters.
The district administration has appointed a duty magistrate to keep a tab on the law and order situation.
