DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has written to the Punjab government, raising safety concerns of its officers and the staff of its contractors undertaking work in Ludhiana and Jalandhar for the construction of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway. Following the NHAI's letter, Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma on August 6 wrote to Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, asking him to lodge an FIR and take necessary action for the safety of NHAI officers and for the personnel of the contractors.

In its communication to the Punjab CS on August 5, the NHAI said that one of the employees of its contractor was brutally assaulted by some villagers in Jalandhar and the director of the contractor firm was threatened by two persons in Ludhiana. The NHAI is constructing the four-lane greenfield Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway from junction with Ludhiana-Moga road near Mullanpur Dakha to junction with Jalandhar-Moga road near Kang Sahibu village.

The employee was assaulted when he was on duty for procuring borrow areas near village Fatehpur Nurmahal on July 20, according to NHAI's another letter written to the Jalandhar Deputy commissioner last month. Some villagers protested and argued for stopping the construction of the project, stating that they did not need the road.

Citing another incident, the NHAI in its letter to the CS said the director of the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contractor firm was threatened by two persons in Ludhiana.

They also threatened to "burn the project camp and its staff alive," said the letter.

The EPC contractor had awarded some work to a firm of these two persons but later terminated the work because of their "unethical and unprofessional behaviour." The NHAI in its letter to the CS stated, "This is submitted that necessary police protection is immediately required to be provided to the contractor, its staff and at the project camp to avoid any mishap and untoward incident." "It is also requested to direct the concerned officers for the same and also direct the Police/ District Administration to lodge FIR against the guilty/miscreants and take action as per law," it said.

"It is highlighted that contractors in the state of Punjab have not been feeling safe due to these repeated incidents and the contractors may leave the NH projects unfinished due to continuing law and order problems in the State of Punjab," said the letter written by the NHAI's regional officer in Chandigarh.

The NHAI urged the state chief secretary to direct the concerned officers to take necessary action for the safety of NHAI officers and contractor's engineers and lodge FIR against the miscreants.
(editor@dailyworld.in)