PNS | DEHRADUN
Considering the alleged repeated violations of road cutting regulations in Dehradun by the Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) contractors, the Dehradun district administration registered cases against them in three police stations late on Saturday. The action came after contractors consistently ignored terms and conditions related to road cutting and restoration, despite multiple warnings and notices, as per Dehradun district magistrate Savin Bansal. He said that the administration has filed FIRs against three contractors and a junior engineer in Rajpur Road, Patelnagar and Nehru Colony police stations following inspections that revealed gross negligence and non-compliance. He informed that the violations included conducting construction work outside the permitted hours of 10 PM to 5 AM, with activities being carried out during the day, causing significant inconvenience to the public. Contractors also reportedly disregarded the approved excavation limits of 100 metres, digging stretches of up to 300-400 metres at once. According to Bansal, safety measures, such as barricading, were largely absent, leaving open pits and construction debris scattered across roads that endangered public safety. Restoration work, which was supposed to follow strict standards, was also reportedly found to be subpar, leaving the roads in a hazardous condition. The Quick Response Team (QRT) formed by the DM conducted a joint inspection and found that contractors linked to UPCL (ADB) were violating conditions for laying underground electric cables. These violations were observed at several key locations, including the Niranjanpur Mandi Chowk to Bhusa Store stretch, the Dharampur-Rispana route and the Mata Mandir to Railway Crossing area. Bansal said that despite conditional permissions granted for these projects, which included adhering to specific work timings, excavation limits and safety protocols, contractors consistently flouted these norms. He said that the district administration is committed to hold violators accountable and ensure public safety and convenience.
