NAGPUR: In a unique protest, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and residents of Zingabai Takli on Tuesday performed the ‘funeral rites’ of the public works department (PWD) for not removing electric poles from the middle of the road, which is causing frequent road accidents. Following the agitation, the PWD assured to shift the poles within 4-5 months.
In 2017, Union minister Nitin Gadkari had sanctioned Rs35 crore through Central Road Fund for converting the 6.6km Zingabai Takli-Godhani-Bokhara tar road into cement road and widen it from 9 metre to 18 metre. The narrow road was causing frequent traffic jams and the road widening brought much relief to motorists.
After the road widened, electric poles adjacent to the old road now stand in the middle, defeating the road widening purpose. Today, these poles are not only causing problem for smooth movement of vehicles, but also causing accidents, said MNS local unit president Saurabh Karadbhajne.
Since the work was completed some five months ago, the entire stretch has been witnessing accidents due to electric poles in the middle of the road, he said.
“PWD has widened the road to 60 feet of cement road, but what is the use if we can only use 30 feet road for vehicular movement due to electric poles in the middle of the road?” said Piyush Janbandhu, a resident of Govind City.
Despite many written complaints, the PWD did nothing, so MNS displayed hoardings at almost all electric poles drawing the attention of the state agency.
On Tuesday, around 100 MNS activists and residents staged a unique demonstration by taking out the ‘funeral procession’ of PWD at the busy Zenda Chowk in Zingabai Takli.
Soon after the couple of hour long agitation, PWD’s section engineer assured MNS’s secretary Parag Virkhare to shift the poles in 4-5 months.
PWD said that it is yet to receive the funds to shift the electric poles from MSEDCL. Once it receives the fund, it will start work, the PWD letter stated.
Sources, however, said MSEDCL had already submitted to the PWD an estimation of Rs3 crore required to shift around 400 electric poles and eight DP structures from the road. It was submitted much before the road estimate was prepared. But it was ignored by PWD during road design and planning stage, said sources. Actually, PWD’s act is also contempt of high court order, said the sources.
