Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 9 Feb: Following persistent complaints of inconvenience to the public and traffic disruption caused by road cutting on the Shimla Bypass, District Magistrate Savin Bansal took immediate cognisance of the matter and ordered strict corrective action. Following his orders, the road restoration work on Shimla Bypass Road has begun on a war footing. Acting on the DM’s directions, Joint Magistrate Rahul Kumar conducted an inspection of the affected stretch and assessed the ground situation.
During the inspection, it was found that the excavation on the Shimla Bypass had been carried out by Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL), resulting in serious damage to the road surface and obstruction to the smooth movement of vehicles. Local residents had been complaining of excessive dust, potholes and frequent traffic jams, which had made daily commuting difficult and unsafe. Taking note of these grievances, the DM directed UPCL and PWD to accord top priority to public safety and convenience and ensure immediate repair of the damaged road.
In compliance with these instructions, the PWD Construction Division, initiated the road restoration work without delay, and resurfacing operations were started to restore the road to a usable condition. Bansal has made it clear that public interest would not be compromised under any circumstances and that accountability would be fixed for lapses in execution and restoration of public roads.
Significantly, the administration’s tough stance follows an incident reported recently in which an elderly person fell into an uncovered pit dug by an executive agency and left without proper barricading or safety measures, triggering serious concerns over negligence and endangerment of human life. In response, the DM yesterday had cancelled all the road cutting permissions granted to seven executive agencies with immediate effect and had directed that no excavation work should be undertaken without explicit approval and strict adherence to prescribed safety norms.
The DM has warned all the related departments and agencies that in future, any road excavation must be followed by timely and standard-compliant restoration, failing which legal action will be initiated against the erring institution as per rules. The administration has also issued clear instructions for initiating legal proceedings against any agency found carrying out road cutting without permission.
The district administration has further reiterated that it is maintaining close and continuous monitoring of the condition of public roads to ensure the safety and convenience of citizens. Officials said the recent measures reflect a zero-tolerance approach towards negligence in public works and underline the administration’s resolve to prevent accidents, minimise inconvenience and ensure that public infrastructure is handled responsibly.
