Pages

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

HIGH COURT DIRECTS TRANSPORT MINISTRY AND BRO TO FILE FRESH REPORT ON IMPROVEMENT OF NH 31 A

Drainage and reinforcement requirements reiterated
GANGTOK, 20 May: Sikkim High Court has directed the Ministry of Surface Transport and Border Road Organisation to take up the concerns raised by the Amicus Curiae in connection with the improvement of 31-A National Highway, JN Road.
Amicus Curiae, Advocate Tashi Rapden Barfungpa, filed a report with the High Court of Sikkim seeking court directions for improvement of drainage systems from Zero Point to MP Golai for safety reasons.
The report submitted to the court said that the drainage system needs immediate attention adding that the manner in which it is at present poses a serious threat to the lives of people driving vehicles as well a large number of people who walk down the National Highway on a regular basis.
“The condition of the drain is more vulnerable at stretches opposite Forest Department at Deorali, Gangtok, with exposed iron rods on the road side and at the Taxi Stand area at Amdo Golai and Daragaon, Tadong area, with unbalanced and huge uncovered drains,” the report says.
In regards to the North Sikkim Highway, the report assisting the Court for rendering justice to the people at large said that the widening of road towards North Sikkim without building protective walls has led to blockage of the National Highway due to landslides at several areas every now and then.
Protective walls have to be immediately and simultaneously built along the stretch where widening work has been done or is being done. The absence of protective walls has put the lives and properties of the residents living above the Highway at grave risk. It also poses a serious threat to residents and people travelling to North Sikkim who have no choice but to use the same on a regular basis to commute to Gangtok, the report states.
The division bench has directed the respondents - Ministry of Surface Transport and BRO under which Project Swastik is maintaining the roads - to examine and consider the said report and file a fresh report within six weeks.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Readers are invited to comment on, criticise, run down, even appreciate if they like something in this blog. Comments carrying abusive/ indecorous language and personal attacks, except when against the people working on this blog, will be deleted. It will be exciting for all to enjoy some earnest debates on this blog...