SHIMLA: The jittery residents of Kangnadhar, Pateog and New Shimla today raised their grievances- dirty pathway, challaning of vehiles and other problem with Suresh Bhardwaj, Urban Development, Housing, Town Planning, Parliamentary Affairs, Law and Cooperation Minister after he flagged off Innova Taxi from Kangnadhar to Himachal Pradesh High Court.
They thanked the Minister for the launch of the HRTC taxi service between Kangnadhar and High Court.
The residents raised the issue of pathetic plight of pedestrian path that connects Kangnadhar with New Shimla, which has been in the dilapidated condition over the years with Bhardwaj, demanding immediate action making it worthy of proper movement for public.
The path is used daily by hundreds of students, teachers and other pedestrians.
But the path is littered with trash, junk from Kangnadhar side while the road that connects this path leading to New Shimla is full of water pools, making it fatal for the walkers.
The students and teachers almost got drenched in knee-deep pools of water today morning while they were on their way to the schools.
“We have to take of shoes and to cross the water pools created by the potholes as there is no water outlet from this road”, rued the teachers of DAV, New Shimla. This problem has been continuing for years, a teacher pointed out to UD Minister.
The work on the parking in the nallah has been stopped by the contractor of the Shimla municipal corporation.
“We have brought the problem of the littered pathway to the notice of the inspector and officials of Shimla municipal corporation, but they are least bothered”, residents resented.
All kinds of dirt is dumped on the pathway as sweeper and inspector and former local councillor hardly bother to cleanse the path making mockery of the Swachh City slogan, they resented.
The residents are being slapped with heavy challan in Himuda colony by some policemen as there is not enough parking as outside vehicles have almost grabbed the available parking lines.
The residents also raised this issue with UD minister, urging him to take action against such policemen.
Bhardwaj assured action saying that it is his goal to develop the city according to the demand and need so that the people here do not face any kind of problems.
He said that a time table would be fixed with the local people for daily operation of taxis, so that proper arrangements could be made for the people here to reach the city.
He said that the phase of starting taxi service from the suburb of Shimla to Shimla city is on so that the operation of taxis will facilitate the movement of the elderly, women, children, patients, differently abled people as well as the local people to Shimla city. facility will be available.
He said that 18 Innova taxis have been procured and handed over to Himachal Road Transport Corporation under Shimla Smart City Mission, which are being run from different wards of the city.
He said that all possible efforts have been made for the development of Shimla through projects like widening of roads, construction of pedestrian paths, lifts, parking, park escalators etc. which will prove beneficial for the people as well as tourists.
The first basic mantra of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is development, whose benefit is being taken by the people of the city today.
He said that for proper arrangement of water in Shimla city, the construction work of Rs.1813 crore project from Sutlej is in progress, which will get rid of water problem in the city by 2050.
State Executive Member Ram Kishan Dipta, Director Transport Sushil Chauhan, Director Urban Development Deepak Sharma, Residents Welfare Association(RDA) President Naresh Chauhan, Former Employees Cell State Convenor Haridutt Verma, Booth President Krishna Sharma.
Naresh Chauhan said they thanked the UD minister for starting the HRTC taxi from Kangnadhar to High Court which was the pending demand of the residents.
