Toll plaza issue: Cong demands PWD Min’s resignation

Raipur, July 31, 2012

Congress on Tuesday asked PWD Minister Brijmohan Agrawal to step down after High Court issued contempt notice to DS Construction for not keeping the status of toll plaza near Sundar Nagar at Ring Road No 1 as on July 13, 2012 and continuing construction works.

“After HC order, the government should have promptly asked the construction agency to stop the works. This was actually the responsibility of the PWD Minister but he ignored the construction works,” said DCC Raipur Urban president Inderchand Dhariwal, DCC Raipur Rural president Pankaj Sharma, state president of Congress business cell Kanhaiyya Agrawal and Nagrik Sangharsh Samiti representative Nischay Bajpayee.

“In fact, the minister approved toll plaza site inside municipal limits by ignoring public protests and putting aside all the conditions of the pact undergone with the construction agency,” they said.

“Former PWD Minister Rajesh Munat had written letters to NHAI and the construction agency to not construct toll plaza in the city and it can be confirmed by the relevant documents,” they added.

“In 2007, the PWD had categorically told NHAI that it would sign state support agreement only after toll plaza would be constructed outside the Raipur municipal limits as well as out of Naya Raipur border,” they said.

“The decision to construction one toll plaza was jointly taken by the state government, NHAI and DS construction back in May 16, 2006. After two months, on July 31, 2006, another meeting was held in which the previous meeting’s decision was confirmed again. On August 9, the NHAI assured the government in written that the toll plaza would be built outside the city. On January 5, 2007 the government signed state support agreement,” they informed.

“The conditions of the agreement were changed after Brijmohan Agrawal assumed the office of the PWD ministry. First, the toll plaza site was selected near Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar but after public protest it was shifted to Sarona. The local MLA and former PWD Minister Rajesh Munat strongly opposed the new site Sarona, hence it was decided that the toll plaza would be built outside the city. Thereafter, site was shifted near Sundar Nagar. Now, if the site selected near Sarona was in violation of the agreement then how come the site near Sundar Nagar could be according to the pact? The government should clarify this paradox,” they demanded.

Choubey asks govt to avoid being obstinate

CLP leader Ravindra Choubey has asked the government to avoid being obstinate over toll plaza issue and rather pay to cost of new fourlane road strip from Tatibandh to Telebandha to the construction agency and direct it to shift the toll plaza at least 10 km away from the Raipur municipal border.