NHAI to provide rented houses to people affected by Pathankot-Mandi road project

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) today directed its contractors and field staff working on the Pathankot-Mandi four-lane highway project to immediately shift people to safer places whose residential houses were either unsafe or had developed cracks because of the road construction work.

Vikas Surjewala, Project Director, Pathankot-Mandi highway project, told mediapersons that the NHAI would arrange rented accommodation for such families and bear the cost of rent and shifting charges till their houses were repaired or reconstructed.

He said that these steps had been taken for the safety and security of local residents who had been facing hazards because of the construction of the highway. He added that the NHAI would extend full cooperation and help all affected persons and protect their properties also.

Surjewala said that some people were not ready to vacate their damaged houses. He appealed to the local authorities (SDMs and Tehsildars) to help the NHAI in addressing such issues so that the affected people could be facilitated in time.

He said that as already decided in a meeting held with the Kangra Deputy Commissioner, the NHAI would repair the damaged houses and also install retaining walls to protect them. He added that he had spoken to the heads of all companies that were executing the work on the highway between Chakki Bank and Paror in this regard. There would be no financial constraints in releasing the rent amounts, he claimed.

The Pathankot-Mandi stretch of the four-lane highway has been divided into five construction packages. The 220-km highway will have five tunnels and four high-rise bridges, bypassing major towns like Nurpur, Gaggal, Kangra, Nagrota-Bagwan, Maranda, Palampur, Baijnath, Paprola and Jogindernagar. Once completed, the travel time by car between Pathankot and Mandi will reduce by four hours, cutting fuel consumption and enhancing road safety due to fewer curves.

Himachal Tribune