HC warns of levying fine if A'bad-Ahmednagar road work fails to meet deadline

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad, July 28:

The Aurangabad Bench of Bombay High Court comprising Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice A R Pednekar expressed displeasure against the public works department (PWD) officials and the contractor for the delay in the completion of the road connecting Aurangabad-Ahmednagar and railway overbridge (RoB) in Golwadi (near Cantonment area).

The bench warned the contractor of levying a fine (heavy cost) if the pending works do not get completed within the stipulated period.

Earlier, the bench gave a deadline to complete the road work in one month, on June 24. However, the bench expressed its displeasure on finding that the road work done by the PWD ( as it is the custodian of the road) is going on at a snail’s pace and the reasons cited by the officials to justify their say.

The bench ordered to submit the progress report of the works every fortnight. The hearing on the petition will be held on August 12.

It has come to notice that the Patton tank presented by the Indian Army needs to be relocated to undertake the work on RoB. Hence the bench ordered the Central Government to relocate the tank to the army’s suitable place till the pending work is completed.

The petitioner Adv Rupesh Jaiswal appeared party-in-person during the hearing and submitted the photographs of potholes and the news clippings and photos of potholes published in the Daily Lokmat and the work order of the road in the court. The bench took them on record.

Meanwhile, the assistant government pleader Sujeet Karlekar presented the letter of the executive engineer (World Bank Project) and the schedule of work. Mentioning some obstructions on the road including the Patton tank, the letter stated that if there are no obstructions, a plan has been made to complete the said work by January 31, 2023. Senior legal practitioner Rajendra Deshmukh represented the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Adv Manish Navendar pleaded on behalf of the Department of Railways.

Boxxxx

The investigative journalism by Daily Lokmat always highlights various issues of the city and surfaces the real and actual condition of the city through the publishing of photographs and the news regularly. The bench once again took cognizance on Thursday.