PONDA: The villagers who have been opposing the widening of the National Highway (NH) at Bhoma, have accused the government of trying to divide their unity on the road widening issue.
At a press conference held at the main Sateri Temple on Sunday, the villagers stated that a new group has suddenly emerged, claiming that the construction of the bypass road would only affect their houses. The Bhoma villagers clarified that their demand for a bypass doesn’t involve destroying any villagers’ houses or places of worship. They argue that it’s the government’s responsibility to find an alternative bypass route without damaging any infrastructure.
The Bhoma villagers also denied the claim of the rival group that they are launching the agitation at the instruction of their leader, Sanjay Naik. They stated that they are protesting to protect their temples, deities, and culture, and Naik is their spokesperson. As of now, the government has neither presented a plan nor an alignment nor sent any proposal to the Union Ministry for National Highways. There is ambiguity regarding the extent of road widening, with varying claims of 25, 30, 40, or even 60 metres, said the locals. Furthermore, the Central NH Authorities have not clarified whether the project involves an elevated road with a flyover or surface-level widening. The villagers emphasised that since there’s no clarity on the project, villagers should not fight with each other.
The villagers rejected the allegations of the newly emerged group and stressed that they do not want any houses to be destroyed for the bypass road. Their demand is for a bypass through orchard land or industrial areas without harming any homes. They urged the newly emerged group to understand that the bypass is not being demanded at the expense of their houses and not to fall prey to the government’s attempts to employ divisive tactics to widen the NH.
