SP leader slams UP govt over mango tree in middle of national highway
LUCKNOW: A mango tree in the middle of a national highway in Uttar Pradesh has become the latest political weapon for opposition Samajwadi Party to question the Bharatiya Janata Party government’s claims of development in the state.
Shashank Yadav, Samajwadi Party’s member of legislative council, posted the photograph on Facebook on Tuesday, triggering a blame game between officials of the construction company and the forest department.
“Vikas paida hua magar NH24 par Maigalganj ke paas (There is development but on NH24 near Maigalganj),” the caption of the photograph read.
Yadav, who is from Lakhimpur Kheri the largest district in Uttar Pradesh, said he posted the photo to highlight the negligence of the construction company’s officials as well as local representatives.
“While passing by the national highway, I was surprised to find a huge mango tree right in the middle of the road. This is a serious threat to people travelling during the night,” he said while speaking to the Hindustan Times.
“All MPs and MLAs of the region belong to the ruling party but none of them came to know about it. This indicates lack of coordination between the authorities concerned,” he added.
Officials of Era Infra Engineering Ltd, the company assigned to construct the 157km-long stretch between Sitapur and Bareilly on NH 24, blamed the forest department for not allowing them to remove the tree.
“The project was assigned to us in 2010-11. We sent letters to forest department seeking permission to remove the trees coming in the way of the proposed highway,” Era’s project in-charge Arun Chaudhary said.
“We did not receive any permission or reply from the authorities concerned. Due to this, 22% of the project is still pending. We have neither completed the work there nor permitted traffic on the route as yet,” Chaudhary added.
He said the portion of the road, which had the mango tree, fell under the jurisdiction of Hardoi administration.
District forest officer (South Kheri) Sameer Verma, however, said he has not received any letter from the construction company seeking permission to cut trees.
courtesy : hindustantimes.com
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
DCM DK Shivakumar accuses BJP of targeting Siddaramaiah politically
Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to undermine senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s political career. Speaking to the media near his Sadashivanagar residence, Shivakumar described Siddaramaiah as "the strongest mass leader in the state" and claimed the BJP is making efforts to politically "finish him."
“Siddaramaiah is a prominent mass leader of Karnataka, and that is precisely why the BJP is trying to neutralize his influence,” said Shivakumar. He went on to suggest that this was part of a larger strategy by the BJP to target Congress and opposition leaders across the country.
ALSO READ: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah will quit soon, claims state BJP President BY Vijayendra
When asked about recent allegations made by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, Shivakumar remarked that he was not fully informed on the matter. However, he suggested that Vijayan’s comments were likely motivated by fears of an electoral defeat. “Priyanka Gandhi is a national leader, and the Congress party believes in bringing together people from all walks of life. Her decision has received appreciation from the people of Kerala, including those in Wayanad,” he added, referring to her recent initiatives in the state.
