The Chamoli District Magistrate Ashish Joshi has warned that action will be taken against officials of the executing agency concerned in case of any accident on the national highway due to negligence of the agency. He said this while asking the working agencies engaged in road construction to complete works at the earliest or face action if accident happens. The Chamoli DM Ashish Joshi said this while chairing a road security committee meeting held in the collectorate at Gopeshwar. He sounded angry over the slow pace of road construction/repair works presently underway at Nandprayag, Maithana, Gulabkoti, Govindghat and Lambagargh and directed all concerned to complete road- related works by April 22, some days before the pilgrimage to Badrinath which the district houses starts.

The DM instructed the executive engineers to repair the black spots strewn on the roads on a war footing. Besides, he said that crash barriers, parapets and reflectors among others should be installed at the accident prone area. He further said that all arrangements should be put into place right now so that the roads if blocked are cleared in a quarter of an hour after the pilgrimage commences.

Joshi also directed to sub- divisional magistrate and the circle police officers to conduct checking drives from time to time to minimise road accidents and instructed the local bodies to remove encroachment and hoardings as identified for removal by the administration.

Officials to be held responsible for accidents