Banjaar roads protest planned for August 14, MLA Surendra Shourie targets Congress

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Kullu, August 12

Banjaar BJP MLA Surendra Shourie has announced a protest on August 14 over the poor condition of roads in the Banjaar assembly constituency of Kullu district. He accused Congress leaders of misleading the public over the Centre’s ₹25 crore in-principle approval for tarring the Aut-Luhri road.

Addressing a press conference in Dhalpur, Shourie said the road project had received in-principle approval from Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari two years ago. He said the road was last tarred five years ago and was under the contractor’s maintenance responsibility for the following five years.

According to Shourie, an earlier DPR of ₹14 crore had been prepared for the road’s tarring. However, damage caused by the disaster led to the proposed amount being revised to ₹25 crore. He alleged that Congress leaders were wrongly claiming credit for bringing the funds.

Shourie said the Centre has approved the funds in principle and the state government now needs to send the DPR to the Union Ministry for further action.

He further questioned the state government’s focus on development, saying around 20 roads in Banjaar were severely damaged during the 2023 disaster. Even after three years, buses reportedly still cannot reach their destinations on these roads, forcing residents to rely on taxis or walk home.

The MLA said four roads under his MLA priority projects have completed DPRs and received Forest Rights Act clearances, but alleged that the state government has failed to act on them.

Shourie said a major protest will be held in Banjaar on August 14 to highlight the condition of the roads and raise concerns over the alleged failures of the state government. He added that a further strategy against the government’s shortcomings would be decided during the protest.