The Himachal Pradesh high court has issued notice to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the Union ministry of road transport and highways on a petition seeking court’s intervention in making the Kiratpur-Manali highway safer for pedestrians.
The division bench of the HC comprising Chief Justice M S Ramachandra Rao and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua has also directed the NHAI, the transport ministry and the Bilaspur deputy commissioner to file their replies before the next date of hearing.
According to the petition filed by Madan Lal Sharma, the general secretary of the Bilaspur-based Fourlane Visthapit and Prabahavit Samiti (FVPS), an organisation that works for the people displaced by the highway projects, the Kiratpur-Manali highway is unsafe for pedestrians due to lack of foot overbridges, underpasses and pathways.
As per the petition, there are 20 intersections on the Kiratpur-Manali highway within Bilaspur district. However, out of the 20 intersections, only at one place, in Panoh, there is a footbridge for local residents to cross the four-lane highway.
The petition further stated that there were government schools near eight of the intersections, including at Behna Jattan, Auhar, Bhager Chowk, Mehla, and Kathla, and children had to cross the highway to reach their respective schools.
Sharma also submitted that to ensure the safety of the schoolchildren, there was an urgent need to construct pedestrian crossings, underpasses, foot overbridges and sidewalks at all these intersections.
To create a safe road environment for pedestrians and to prevent accidents, the Indian Road Congress codes recommend sidewalks of adequate width, but the NHAI has not provided the facility anywhere along the highway, the petitioner added.
As per the petition, the NHAI has also failed to build crash barriers on the highway barring at a few stretches. The NHAI has also ignored installing streetlights, which is vital for the safe movement of vehicles because of frequent curves on the highway.
“Providing streetlights on flyovers, bridges and pedestrian crossings is also recommended for safety. However, it has been partially executed. While at some places lighting poles are missing. Elsewhere, there are no light fixtures. Moreover, lighting along service roads, especially at exit/entry ramps, is less than the requisite luminous intensity of 40 lux,” read the petition.
It also stated that in order to provide first aid to victims of accidents, the services of government medical attendants should be hired and medical aid posts should be set up along the highway. “The cost for providing medical aid and traffic regulation must be borne by the NHAI contractor from the collected toll fee. These services are being denied to road users and is an unjust enrichment of the contractor by the NHAI,” submitted Sharma.
The court has fixed March 19 as the next date of hearing in the case.
