Damaged road from Melkar to B C Road: Congress holds protest

Bantwal: “People are facing hardships due to the damaged road. It is condemnable that the governments at the centre and state and the concerned officials have remained indifferent,” said former minister B Ramanath Rai after leading a protest rally against the completely damaged national highway from Melkar to B C Road-Mani Junction on Wednesday. Traffic was stopped for five minutes at Melkar Junction.

“BJP people are acting for votes. The highway has been damaged with potholes and innocent people are losing lives. The four-lane work on the highway has stopped halfway due to cold war between elected representatives and contractor. But it is blamed for delay in land acquisition. I will resign from politics if that is the reason for stopping the work,” he challenged.

“All the roads were kept in order when I was in power including widening of Melkar road and rural roads. But BJP elected representatives are sleeping now,” he claimed.

“It is the habit of BJP to fool people for votes. BJP had received publicity for the works undertaken during Congress term by writing to the Prime Minister. But nobody writes to him about the condition of this road. The current MP Nalin Kumar is unable to maintain the highway. Therefore, write to the Prime Minister for the repairs of the highway,” he demanded.

“Those who criticize Prime Minister are labelled as traitors. What the people who criticize Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Nehru should be called? BJP at the centre and the state should stop playing with the lives of people and should repair the roads completely. The government at the centre and the state is deaf, dumb and blind. Let them open their eyes soon,” he said.

After the rally, a memorandum was submitted to the deputy commissioner through the tahsildar.