‘Clear highway project hurdles in a week’

VARANASI: Within days of Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorting officials to timely complete all development projects in Varanasi, the district administration on Wednesday gave a week’s time to sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) to dispose of all disputes and objections raised by locals regarding the land acquired for National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) projects so as to clear hurdles in the way of their execution.
The NHAI has been directed to ensure repair of service lanes and by-lanes in order to avoid problems for the commuters.
District magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma convened a meeting with the officials of NHAI and all departments concerned on Wednesday to review progress in the works of on-going highway projects. During the meeting, the NHAI officials said locals in Rajwari, Kaithi and Umraha areas had stalled the work of Varanasi-Ghazipur highway four-lane conversion by claiming possession on the land acquired for the project.
Taking note of it, the DM asked the SDM concerned to ensure payment of the compensation amount of the farmers and landowners who have not received it so far and were creating hurdles against acquisition of their land in court and give the possession of land to NHAI. An order to initiate legal action against those creating hurdles was also issued by him.
Regarding demand of farmers of seven villages for measuring their land which had been acquired for ring-road phase-2 package-I project, the DM asked the SDM concerned to engage special teams in order to measure the land as per the demand of the farmers.
On the issue of loading and unloading of sand by traders by parking their trucks on national highway-2 and running market by occupying the land of highway, the DM asked NHAI to initiate stern action against them under NH Act.
The DM expressed concern over the stalled six-lane conversion of the flyover near Vishokar village on NH-2 and asked to start this work at the earliest. He said that all the issues of arbitration will be heard in the courts concerned between Monday and Friday next week in order to dispose of them on a priority.
NHAI was also asked to immediately repair broken railing of Mohansarai flyover and damaged service lanes along NH-2. SDM Rajatalab was directed to solve the dispute created by locals in Thathra area, due to which repair work of service lane is stalled. The NHAI was also asked to repair the diversion routes and service lanes at earliest.
Plans for massive plantations along all highways from July 1 was also discussed at the meeting.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chaired a review meeting on various development projects being carried out in Varanasi via video conferencing on June 19 and exhorted the officials to ensure their timely completion without compromising on the quality.