SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024
Team Herald
PONDA: Curti locals on Friday demanded with the government that the controversial widening made to the existing main road at Chirputem-Curti should be inspected by PWD Road Division and not just by local panchayat body and Town and Country Planning Department.
The locals were unhappy and furious over the PWD Department for not being present for the joint inspection of road conducted by panchayat and TCP officials despite PWD being the concerned authority for roads.
The locals had filed complaints against illegal road widening work by a private company and demanded action into the matter.
Based upon the complaints, the Curti Panchayat Sarpanch Gurudas Khedekar, Secretary and TCP official along with the locals on Friday conducted the site inspection of the controversial road widening at Chirputem. However, the locals were unhappy over the absence of PWD officials. The locals stressed that the PWD must clear the doubt whether the road widening work is legal or illegal.
The locals alleged that the road widening work is illegal and it’s for development of plots by levelling the hills and forest trees.
The locals said, “The private company has widened the road stretch and shown in its plan having width of 10 metres. However, the rest stretch of road is narrow and electricity poles are also lying in the middle of road due to road widening at particular place.”
A local, Narendra Naik said, “The road is shown in Regional Plan with 10 metres width and the people want the PWD to demarcate the width and solve the issue.”
“If the government don’t take action more builders will be encouraged to construct private roads and will destroy the hills and forest area for development of plots,” the locals claimed.
The locals demand that all the concerned department including PWD, Electricity, TCP and local panchayat conduct a joint inspection of Chirputem road and clear the doubts on the issue.
Sarpanch Gurudas Khedekar said, “ The panchayat had approved the file of the private party based on the TCP’s approval. Documents of all the concerned parties will be verified in the next stage.”
