Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Jul 1: State urban development and housing minister, U T Khader, instructed the district deputy commissioner to register suo moto case against Navayuga Company which has not been completing work on national highway 66 four-laning work and thus causing loss of lives of people and property. He asked the case to be registered under section 133 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in the court of the assistant commissioner.
He gave this instruction at a meeting of officials on Saturday June 30 about highway works, which was held at the office of the deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district. When Navayuga officials failed to provide convincing reply to questions posed to them about progress of highway work and sought time till March next year to complete the same. Khader, who was angered by this, noted that no progress has been achieved in spite of a number of meetings held on this issue during the last several years, and therefore, asked the officials to register case against the company.
Khader said that in the recent meeting held at Bengaluru, Navayuga officials had promised to complete Thokkottu flyover work by December and Pumpwell over-bridge by March. He noted that deadlines mentioned in the past have not been kept, and the company has failed to even make temporary arrangements during the monsoon season. He said that once the case is filed in the court of the assistant commissioner, every week hearing should be held and progress of work should be obtained without fail.
Engineer of National Highways Authority, Ajith, said that work on highway is not progressing satisfactorily although the company had given undertaking at the Bengaluru meeting. Navayuga official cited financial crisis as reason for the problem. Deputy Commissioner, Sasikanth Senthil, told the officials that it is the company's problem. He asked the officials not to take the instructions lightly, as several lives have been lost because of their callousness. He asked the company to say so if it is not capable of executing the work so that the government can make alternative arrangements. He warned that criminal cases would be registered against Navayuga Company and officials of National Highways Authority of India if accidents happen because of haphazard road work and people lose their lives henceforth.
Additional deputy commissioner, Kumar, engineer of national highways department, Kantharaju, and executive engineer, Subbarama Holla, were present.