Miffed UP minister sets out to build road himself
VARANASI: Angry over no response from public works department (PWD) to construct a 500-metre broken stretch leading to his house in his native Fatehpur Khonda village, 30-km from Varanasi, UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Saturday took a spade and started constructing the road himself.
Rajbhar heads the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), an ally of the ruling BJP.
“In the recent past, the minister asked PWD officials several times to construct the broken road as his son Arvind’s marriage reception is on June 24, and several senior leaders, ministers and officials have been invited,” said SBSP state unit general secretary Shashi Pratap Singh.
Singh said the high-profile invitees included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, several ministers in his cabinet, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and several MLAs.
The officials, however, didn’t heed his instructions, he claimed.
Singh said the minister, angry that his instructions were being ignored, started levelling the broken road and patching up the stretch himself. A group of local residents also joined the minister in his efforts.
Singh said when the road leading to the house of a minister was in such a state, one could gauge the situation of roads elsewhere.
When contacted, executive engineer, PWD, Varanasi, Pradeep Kumar Jain said, “Estimate for construction of the road has been prepared. It has been sent to PWD headquarters for sanctioning. As soon as the funds are sanctioned, the road will be built.”
Soon after coming to power in 2017, the BJP government had ordered to make roads across the state free of potholes.