VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Sept 21: Jharkhand Congress MLA from Mahagama Dipika Pandey Singh on Wednesday hit the road to draw the attention of the government to the bad condition of a part of the National Highway 133 passing through the Mahagama assembly constituency.
As a part of this, NH has turned into a cesspool as she walked through the stretch and started a sit-in demonstration. She was so livid that she took a dip in the muddy water and refused to come out till her demands were fulfilled.
Moreover, she slammed the central government and BJP’s Godda MP Nishikant Dubey for the miserable condition of the NH. Mahagama is part of the Godda parliamentary seat. Nishikant Dubey claimed that the state road construction department was supposed to maintain this road and a Rs 75 Crore fund was also released about six months back.
“People expect basic things like roads, electricity, health, and likes. And if a government ignores and elected representatives don’t take care of such basic things then we can imagine the situation. The NH in my constituency is in very bad condition and I have been demanding the government for its renovation. One should come and see how people live here. This is how Nishikant Dubey has made river Ganga to flow on the road,” she said.
मैं राज्य सरकार या केंद्र सरकार की लड़ाई में नहीं, हां जनता के जमीन पर हर लड़ाई में थी,हूँ और रहूंगी pic.twitter.com/Nu2ONIwrgb
— Dipika Pandey Singh (@DipikaPS) September 21, 2022
In the morning, Dipika Pandey Singh along with some of her supporters arrived at Merahma-Barahat locality where the National Highway passes and connects it with Pirpainti. Around half a km stretch of this NH at Pirojpur Sido Kanu Chowk has become a dangerous stretch to drive owing to ditches turning the NH to a cesspool.
“Today it has become a compulsion for public representatives to come on the road. The agitation has started and I am not going to withdraw till the demand reaches its logical conclusion. I will stay here for an indefinite period. People elected me with the trust that I will raise their voices. It is not my intention to malign the image of the government but there is no other way,” she said and accused the central government of negligence.
“In May, this road was transferred to the National Highway Authority. Through the newspapers, we came to know that the contract for this road was also awarded. The work has not been started so far. Let it be very clear that the state government has no role in this matter because it comes under the central government. But despite that on several occasions the Public Works Department of the state government made the road motorable by filling in stone dust,” she said.
However, Dubey quipped that she was uninformed and jumped this way without verifying facts.
“She is holding a demonstration against her own government headed by Chief Minister Hemant Soren. This is a national highway but the maintenance work is done by the state road construction department. About six months back, the central government released Rs 75 Crore for this. The state road construction department is headed by Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Earlier also she had held a demonstration for Dighi road and at that time also I had said that responsibilities lie with the state government. Yesterday CM laid the foundation stone of this road,” said the MP.
