Eye on bypass, no help in sight

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 28JAN: Despite Malda district magistrate Mr Sridhar Ghosh’s request , the project director of national Highway Authority of India’s (NHAI) Project Implementing Unit ( PIU) , Mr Goutam Datta, could neither finalise the date of a meeting with the administration and agitating villagers nor for spot verification.

The proposed bypass would branch off the highway at Jadupur in the southern end of English Bazaar and connect it with Narayanpur in the northern end, covering more than nine kms. Mr Ghosh had held a meeting with Mr Datta on 16 December, 2009 requesting him to sort out the problem of land acquisition for a bypass project off national Highway-34.

Mr Datta, who started agitation against land acquisition for this project and demanded a fresh alignment for the proposed bypass for this NH, had ensured that he would arrange a meeting with the villagers of Jadupur-I gram panchayat in English Bazaar in January.

The project director Mr Goutam Datta said: “ We could not finalise the date because we were busy with several departmental meetings and are busy with other jobs related to NH in Nadia and adjoining districts in south Bengal. Though I am in charge of the Malda project, still we are not in position to arrange meetings now”.

He also said: “We need to bring consultant agency that had surveyed and prepared the final alignment for by pass in order to hear the villagers’ views who are demanding fresh alignment. At present we are not sure if we will be able to make a fresh alignment following the villagers’ demand, due to some technical reasons. But we would discuss the matter with the civil administrative officials and the leaders of the agitators”, he added.

Around 300 families backed by the CPI-M under the banner of Jadupur-I Krishi Jami O Bastuhara Nagarik Adhikar Raksha Committee (JKBNARC), had submitted an eight-point charter of demands including an alternative alignment proposal for the Malda project in December.

Former CPI-M MLA and a member of the JKJBNRC, Mr Samar Roy, alleged that NHAI had changed the previous alignment of the proposed bypass to save the existing buildings of businessmen along the highway near Jadupur.