The Uttarakhand Government has given an undertaking before the Uttarakhand High Court recently that the distance between Mandu village and the road under construction will be surveyed by the Geological Survey of India and by the Public Work Department (PWD) within a month and a survey report and the estimate of the cost of construction of the 2-km road will be placed before the High Court.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Narayan Singh Dhanik heard a PIL in which the grievance of the petitioner is that under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna, 13 roads were sanctioned for Almora district, of which one road was sanctioned by the name Basolikhan-Chamtola to Nayal Dhura. The road was to cover the distance of 7.50 km. Subsequently, the respondents changed the direction of the road and the distance it would cover.
The Court has pointed out to Dr. S.S. Sandhu, the Chief Secretary, that while a road is being constructed from Basolikhan Chamtola – Dhareshwar- Pokhri- Bagina, the village of Mandu (Nayal Dhura) is being left out.
The counsel for the petitioner submitted that there are about 30 persons, who are living in the village of Mandu. However, due to lack of road connectivity, they are left to fend for themselves. They possibly cannot have any access to any medical facility. Even the children cannot have access to schools.
Moreover, whatever is being produced in the village cannot be carried out to be sold. The village is situated at the top of a mountain. Therefore, the 30 persons in the village live in total isolation from the rest of the world at large. Therefore, the State Government should be directed to construct a road connecting the village to the road which is already under construction, the counsel for the petitioner added.
The court has brought the difficulties of the people of Mandu Village to the notice of the Chief Secretary. According to him, the distance between Mandu and the road which is under construction is merely two km. The Chief Secretary gave the undertaking to the High Court on surveying the distance between the village and the road and the survey report along will be placed before this Court in a month. Thereafter, the Court listed the case on November 29.