A parliamentary committee has requested a comprehensive report from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) concerning the construction of elevated roads. The committee alleges that these elevated structures have obstructed the natural drainage of water from agricultural lands, causing significant problems for farmers. The NHAI has been given a two-month deadline to submit this detailed report.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing, led by Congress Lok Sabha MP Charanjit Singh Channi, held a meeting with NHAI officials to address this issue. During the meeting, the committee demanded to see records related to the planning of the highways and the provisions made for rainwater drainage.
The committee emphasised that certain elevated highways, which can be up to ten feet high, have erected obstacles that prevent water from flowing naturally. Farmers are already struggling with heavy rainfall and river flooding, and this has made their situation worse.
The Amritsar-Katra, Amritsar-Bathinda, Ludhiana-Bathinda, Sirhind-Sehna, Mohali-Sirhind, Southern Ludhiana bypass, and Northern Patiala bypass are some of the major NHAI projects in Punjab that were mentioned by the committee.
Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, a member of the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha, has written to Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, accusing NHAI officials of being responsible for the Kartarpur corridor flooding. According to Randhawa's letter, the lack of culverts—crucial constructions for directing water beneath roads to stop erosion and flooding—was the direct cause of the flooding.
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Five days before the flooding, Randhawa recalled, he had called NHAI officials to urge them to come to the site, determine the cause of the waterlogging, and suggest remedial actions. However, he claimed that the officials did not heed his request. When he informed one official that the flooding was due to the agency's negligence, the official allegedly responded improperly, stating that he would ask an SDO-rank officer to investigate the matter.
Expressing his frustration, Randhawa emphasised the seriousness of the issue, stating that the flooding of a sacred Sikh project was treated with indifference by the NHAI. He has urged Minister Gadkari to replace the current officials with more responsible ones and to initiate disciplinary action against those who were negligent.
The NHAI is responsible for the construction of the four-lane highway that forms part of the Kartarpur corridor, connecting to the Integrated Check Post (ICP).
Also Read: Punjab floods: Rivers overflow, thousands displaced, 37 dead
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