Activists create ruckus at NHAI office over Pardi accident

Nagpur: Activists of Jai Jawan Jai Kisan and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers on Thursday created ruckus at Civil Lines office of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) over death of two sisters in a road accident at Pardi on Wednesday. They demanded action against the contractor for neglecting safety of citizens.
Jai Jawan Jai Kisan activists led by Prashant Pawar and NCP team led by corporator Duneshwar Pethe raised slogans in the NHAI office. They refused to listen to executive engineer Naresh Wadetwar, who then called up regional officer (RO) M Chandrashekhar. The RO talked to the activists on mobile phone and explained the facts. Pawar and Pethe then submitted a memorandum to Wadetwar.
The memorandum submitted by Pawar stated that the work of Pardi flyover commenced in August 2014 and was to be completed by 2018. However, even one year after the deadline it is nowhere near completion. The roads below the structure are full of potholes and accidents are frequent, many of them fatal, the memorandum stated.
Pawar alleged that there was a nexus between NHAI officers and contractors due to which action was not being taken against the latter. The NCP in its memorandum demanded a compensation of Rs one crore for the family of the two girls.
Chandrashekhar told Pawar that the structure was incomplete as state government had failed to hand over the land to NHAI. “We can’t take action against the contractor for delay as he is yet to get the land,” the RO said. Pawar then asked if this was the situation then who was responsible for the deaths.
Pawar and Pethe warned that if their demands were not fulfilled they would launch an agitation.