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हिन्दी 
Himachal Pradesh panchayati raj minister Anirudh Singh on Wednesday not only denied assaulting National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officers Achal Jindal and Yogesh for which he has been booked but also levelled allegations of irregularities in road construction in the hill state, saying he would be meeting Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari and seeking a high-level inquiry.
Interacting with mediapersons in Shimla, Anirudh Singh said: “I deny all allegations. The investigations are on and I would now like to say anything more. The FIR against me is just to cover their negligence and to divert attention.”
A case was registered against the minister at Dhalli police station on the complaint of Jindal, the NHAI manager (technical), Shimla, for subjecting him and engineer Yogesh to physical assault and verbal abuse during a site visit in the Bhattakufer area on Monday, following the collapse of a five-storeyed residential building, which was located near a four-laning road project.
The FIR has been registered under Sections 132 (criminal force to deter public servant while performing his duty), 121 (1) (voluntarily causing hurt), 352 (intentional insult), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint) and 3 (5) (criminal act committed by several persons) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Dhalli police station in-charge Virochan Negi said on Tuesday.
The incident triggered a political storm, with the opposition mounting a sharp attack on the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government in the state.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari condemned the “heinous assault” and spoke to CM Sukhu, urging immediate and exemplary action against all perpetrators.
Cites substandard material, reckless slope cutting
On Wednesday, Anirudh levelled serious allegations against the NHAI, claiming “widespread irregularities in road construction works across the state”.
“The NHAI is digging beyond the acquired land. In Bhattakufer, a building collapsed on June 30, while eight buildings have been damaged and had to be vacated,” Anirudh said.
He alleged that “substandard material” was being used in the projects and demanded a high-level inquiry.
The minister claimed there were 700 complaints against the NHAI in Shimla alone by people who had suffered on account the authority’s alleged negligence. “Over 700 complaints have been filed in Shimla district alone with SDMs and deputy commissioners, yet no concrete action has been taken. It is a complete failure of the system,” he alleged, referring to the Centre.
He questioned the additional funding to the NHAI for slope protection and how the funds were being used. “Under the hybrid annuity model adopted by the Centre, the construction of national highways involves 40% funding from the Government of India and 60% from private contractors. However, in practice, many contractors complete minimal work under the initial phase and abandon the projects, while continuing to claim maintenance for the next two to three years as per contractual terms,” the minister said.
He said that in regions from Shimla-Parwanoo, Mandi, Kangra, and Jogindernagar, reckless slope cutting and inadequate construction of retaining walls resulted in recurring landslides and building collapses. “Cutting is being done at near 90-degree angles, while retaining walls are only 8 to 10 feet high. This construction technique is completely unsafe and the result is that buildings are collapsing every year and there is loss of life and property,” the minister said.
Seeks national policy for project-affected citizens
Anirudh urged the central government to formulate a national policy to provide relief and rehabilitation to citizens affected by the highway construction. “Building roads is commendable, but ignoring the lives and losses of affected citizens is unacceptable,” he said.
The minister said that he would soon meet Union minister Gadkari and demand a high-level inquiry into the entire matter.
