Himachal Pradesh high court pulls up NHAI for project delay

SHIMLA: Delay in completing the four-laning project of national Highway-21 from Kiratpur to Ner chowk has annoyed the Himachal Pradesh high court as it observed that the NHAI, for obvious and apparent reasons, are further complicating the situation by running away from the responsibility with reference to the construction of the above stated national highway.

While hearing the matter recently, a division bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ajay Mohan Goel said that instead of streamlining the deadlock for the reconstruction of the national highway, it appeared that the NHAI were further complicating the situation. The court said that before it would be forced to take a harsh view in the matter and on the persistent request made by the senior counsel representing the NHAI, the matter is posted for hearing on April 24 for suggesting some viable solutions.

The four-laning of national highway-21 from Kiratpur to Ner Chowk has been divided into five segments by the NHAI. During the hearing held on December 26 last year, the court had observed that the status report suggested that work on at least three segments — Kiratpur to Ner chwok; Ner chowk to Pandoh bypass and Pandoh bypass to Takoli — was going on at such a slow speed that there was no likelihood of its being completed in near future.

It said that the status report further revealed that the NHAI was likely to indulge in litigation with one or two concessionaires and in the entire blame game the ultimate sufferer would be the people for the time period within which the work was to be completed.