The standoff over the Mandi-Jalandhar National Highway has escalated, with Congress MLA Chander Shekhar Thakur of Dharampur, located in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district, launching an indefinite protest
against the National Highways Authority’s construction company and officials of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Monday.
The Dharampur MLA began his sit-in late on Monday night, accusing authorities of negligence in the construction of National Highway-3. The MLA alleges that the irregularities have left locals suffering for years. “Even after months, MORTH and NHAI companies – which have the biggest hand in Himachal’s destruction – have yet been able to decide any kind of accountability. That is why this protest will continue until every victim of Dharmapur region gets relief, the voice of the people of Himachal is not heard and strict action against the guilty companies,” Thakur declared in a Facebook Live address at 10 pm on September 8.
Thakur said that while touring affected panchayats on Monday, he visited the Padchu bridge area around 1 pm. “On Padchu bridge, I saw that the condition of the highway has become very pathetic and no vehicle is passing from here,” he said. Attempts to get answers from the company and MoRTH officials yielded “no meaningful reply”, he alleged.
According to him, company representatives and MoRTH officials took three hours to reach the spot after police and district administration arrived. Later, when summoned to the police station, the project director failed to appear even after five hours. “Now the decision to sit on a dharna had to be taken in view of the public’s trouble,” Thakur explained.
The Dharampur MLA has repeatedly highlighted that construction work has been moving at what he calls “a snail’s pace” for four years. He claims faulty excavation work by the company has damaged houses in several villages, with cracks appearing in walls. Most of the poles installed by the company have collapsed, due to which the highway and link roads are also not fit for walking, Thakur said.
Locals allege that despite repeated protests, officials remain unmoved. Even Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s recent visit failed to change matters, with Thakur noting, “These officials ignored the CM’s words and the project director did not reach Padchhu bridge.”
Mentioning Mahatma Gandhi in his address, the MLA said his sit-in is a form of peaceful resistance. “Today, by sitting on this dharna, we have started the fight of Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha movement. We’re not going to move even an inch from here until a complete solution is found,” he said. To underline his resolve, Thakur has also announced he will run his constituency office from Avadhevi Chowk, near the protest site.
The Dharampur Assembly segment falls under Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, home to former Union Minister Anurag Thakur. His residence in Sameerpur lies barely 3 kilometres from Avadhevi. During the recent floods, when the MP visited Dharampur, locals directly apprised him of their grievances, prompting him to scold the project director on the spot.
Thakur has also raised the matter on the floor of the Himachal Assembly during the monsoon session. Meanwhile, CPI(M)-affiliated CITU leaders have organised protests with affected residents, and Sadar MLA Anil Sharma along with activists Rajesh Kapoor and Anupama Singh have met Union Ministers about the issue.
