VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, June 10: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday shot off a letter to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highway Nitin Gadkari for the four laning of Basukinath-Dumka road and Dumri -Deoghar road. Hemant Soren said that Nitin Gadkari always supported Jharkhand in getting a good road infrastructure.
The CM said that as the Shrawan mela is set to take place this year, these roads need to be constructed as soon as possible.
Soren said that Deoghar also known as Baidyanath Dham is an important pilgrimage place in Jharkhand where every year Shrawan Mela takes place between July and August participated by lakhs of devotees across the country. The Shrawani Mela at Deoghar has not been held for the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The CM informed that the mela is likely to be held this year if there is no surge in the Covid scenario.
“You will agree that good road condition is one of the prerequisites for smooth and uninterrupted flow of huge influx of human population over a short span of time. Roads also need to be in good condition because devotees move barefoot during this festival,” the letter reads
He informed that all roads of Deoghar and adjoining areas are being repaired for smooth and unhindered movement of devotees during Shrawani Mela by the Jharkhand government through its budgetary resources. From Deoghar, devotees move to Basukinath Temple, which is at a distance of 40 km. These two places are connected by NH 114A which at present is in very very bad shape.
“I am informed that the stretch from km 68.5 (Tower Chowk, Dumka) to km 87.53 (Basukinath) of NH-114A has been sanctioned by MORT&H for widening and strengthening to two-lane with paved shoulders in November 2020 at a cost of Rs 148.24 crore. The work was awarded to the contractor in November 2021. However, the work was terminated in March 2022 as the contractor could not mobilize resources. Due to lack of upkeep, the road condition has deteriorated from bad to worse,” the CM said.
He pointed out that since the contract was terminated the roads could not be revamped; hence, the state government has no choice but to get the required repair work done through its own fund to improve the riding quality.
Hemant Soren informed that the National Highway Authority of India has already taken up the four laning of the stretch between Deoghar to Basukinath.
“This is to request that the present road stretch from Basukinath to Dumka may also be developed into four-lane road corridors instead of two-lane with paved shoulders as sanctioned. Considering your keen interest and support for the development of road infrastructure in the State of Jharkhand and easing out the flow of traffic from Ranchi to Deoghar, I would request you to get the stretch from Dumri (on NH-02) to Deoghar be developed into the four-lane configuration,” the CM said.
