Blocking of Highways by farmers.

[Sanjeev Goyal]

 

No. SKG/PMO/197               29 July 2021

 

श्री नरेंद्र मोदी, प्रधानमंत्री,                                               

Post Office Nirman Bhawan,

New Delhi-110 011. pm...@pmo.nic.in

Interact with PM | Prime Minister of India (pmindia.gov.in)  PMOPG/E/2021/0456588.

 

Sir,

 

Concerned Department: NHAI.

Reg: Blocking of Highways by farmers.

 

The farmers’ agitation blocking the highways around Delhi has caused immense trouble for the daily commuters and the worst part is, there is no respite visible. For how long they can keep the public hostage and police remain a mute spectator? I use the Meerut Expressway and feel the pinch of wasting time & fuel on a daily basis. I believe there is an easy way to handle it which I tweeted earlier but that seems to have escaped the attention of authorities.

 

The Meerut Expressway has eight lanes supported with 2 lane service roads on both sides totalling to 12 lanes. The farmers have just captures 6 lanes for a length of around half a kilometre. The point is, the other half side of the road at this captured site can be easily converted to 2 way for traffic movement. For doing this, just few meters of the central verge is to be broken and way of entry to be created. This solution would not require more than a few hours to implement. Since the road is very wide there can be other effective solutions to the problem as well without touching agitating farmers.

 

With very little efforts, this simple solution can be implemented immediately to provide much needed relief to the commuters.

 

I request NHAI may be advised to look into this on priority.

 

Please acknowledge.

 

Regards,

S K Goyal

D-103, Shivam Apartment,

Sector-12/14, Dwarka,

New Delhi-110078.

[Sanjeev Goyal]

Dear Sirs,

My petition was NOT at all about removal of farmers. This is a political issue and no one would remove the farmers without their consent. Moreover, when the Supreme Court has distanced itself from issuing any strict order for removal of farmers, who else would do it?

My petition was about finding a solution to the problem till the time the site is vacated by farmers. In my view, situation can be managed to save thousands of people from a daily ordeal. Only the RHS of Delhi-Meerut carriageway has been captured but the LHS carriageway and service lanes are available totalling to 6 lanes. These lanes are sufficient to handle the traffic load of both ways and movement arrangements from 8.700 to 8.900 KM can be made by temporarily breaking the central verge. I firmly believe with this little innovation we can reach the solution without touching the agitators. Since ample road space is available a viable solution is not difficult to reach. 

I request all of you to try to find a solution to the current issue for the time farmers have captured the site. 

Regards,

Sanjeev.     

On Fri, Jul 30, 2021 at 5:24 PM PIU Ghaziabad <g...@nhai.org> wrote:

Sir,

 

Please refer to your email dated 29 July, 2021 complaining about difficulty faced due to blocking of Highways by farmers.

2.       In this regard, it is to inform that at present farmers have blocked the RHS Carriageway of Delhi Meerut Expressway (i.e. Hapur to Delhi side), earlier farmers had illegally blocked both the sides of carriageway from Km 8.700 to km 8.900 at Ghazipur (UP/Delhi Border).    

3.       It is to mention that NHAI is having a State Support Agreement with States and according to this office had requested to District Administration for removal/shifting of unauthorized encroachments by the Farmers on this highway to other location so that public can use this highway without any hindrance.

4.         It is, therefore, requested to take up the matter with District Administration.

 

Regards

 

(Mudit Garg)

Project Director

PIU Ghaziabad

 

 

From: Singhal Udeep K, GM (Tech), Delhi
Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2021 2:23 PM
To: PIU Ghaziabad
Subject: FW: Blocking of Highways by farmers.

 

 

 

From: MK Projects, Manoj Kumar ( Member Project)
Sent: 29 July 2021 13:57
To: Singhal Udeep K, GM (Tech), Delhi <Ude...@nhai.org>
Cc: mano...@gmail.com
Subject: FW: Blocking of Highways by farmers.

 

 

 

From: Chairman, NHAI
Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2021 1:53 PM
To: MK Projects, Manoj Kumar ( Member Project)
Subject: FW: Blocking of Highways by farmers.

[Sanjeev Goyal]

Dear Sir,

I appreciate your response on the issue - but what is it at stake? Why should we be scared of failure? The cost of the proposed solution is a drop in the ocean as compared to daily loss of time & fuel.  What will happen at the most - suffering of people shall continue like the present. Why should we accept defeat before even giving a try to it?

Even today farmers have not blocked other ways of entering Delhi because as per strategy, on all the borders, they have blocked the entry to Delhi. In my view, keeping in view the heavy police force deployment it will not be possible for farmers to block both the carriageways. They can not kill the people. Even if there are 50:50 chances the idea deserves to be explored. 

Believe me, if this is done you will get a lot of accolades from the public and the press at the national level.

Please take the police in confidence before the start of work. Hope for some quick action.

Regards,

Sanjeev.

On Sat, Jul 31, 2021 at 9:52 AM Sanjeev Goyal <cwa...@gmail.com> wrote:

On Fri, Jul 30, 2021 at 10:33 PM PIU Ghaziabad <g...@nhai.org> wrote:

Dear Sir,

We have separate lanes in RHS, i.e. more than 7 lanes. Farmers could be restricted on some part, if couldn't moved.

How, u can say that they will not block that part of LHS lanes, if the said arrangement will be made as you suggested.

Regards

Sent from my Galaxy

[Sanjeev Goyal]

Sir,

For the cause of society sometimes we need to cross the barrier & do our duty. I hope some action would be taken on this proposed solution.

Regards,

Sanjeev.

[Sanjeev Goyal]

Dear Sir, 

I request you not to underestimate your own capability, just breaking a few metres of central verge is not a non doable task. It all depends on your outlook how you see the issue. Whether you want to help lakhs of people suffering daily, and tons of fuel being wasted. 

You are high calibre civil engineers, you can find way if you want. Your one action can bring respite for lakhs, that is the real public service.

Regards

Sanjeev

On Wed, Aug 11, 2021, 09:12 PIU Ghaziabad <g...@nhai.org> wrote:

Dear Sir,

We have separate lanes in both sides ( UP/DN)

I.e..NH UP, NH DOWN, EXPRESSWAY.

There is no need to damage the existing infrastructure (Central Median have Electrical Poles, Electrical Cables, Camera, Signage Gantries, OfC cables, Electrical Panels many more items). You are requested to take up the matter with farmers or Competent Authority/District Administration to restrict the farmers in that particular lanes or any other location away from Highway in the large intrest of public. 

Farmer's have no legal right to block the highway. We are continuously persuing the matter with District Adminstration for vacating the area as per State Support Agreement.

[Sanjeev Goyal]

Dear Sir,

I hope you must be taking action on the proposed solution to bypass the blockage Meerut-Delhi Expressway by farmers. But meanwhile, concerning this, there is another issue which you can immediately address.

 

After exit-3 from Delhi-Meerut expressway there are 3 roads visible i.e. main carriageway, adjacent road (start of bridge) and service road.  

 

Flow -1 of traffic

While going towards NOIDA from Delhi one uses exit-3 on Meerut Expressway. After this exit, there are 2 adjacent roads one climbing on the bridge and other a service road. There are 2 consecutive over bridges after exit-3 i.e. bridge-1 & bridge-2. At present, one has to travel on service road adjacent to bridge-1 and take a U turn under bridge-2 to go towards NOIDA/Khoda.

 

Flow -2 of Traffic

Due to blockage of Meerut-Delhi carriageway by farmers, the traffic coming from Meerut side take a U turn under Bridge-1 and takes another left-turn after 100 meters toward Indirapuram to take alternate way to approach Delhi.

 

Both the above flow of traffic clashes at U turn under bridge-1 leading to a traffic jam. This 100 meter length of service road is taking the load of

 

(1) whole traffic coming from Meerut side and going towards Delhi and

(2) All people from Delhi going towards NOIDA.

 

In a way this 100 meters stretch is taking the load of whole expressway.

 

Up to few weeks back, those who wanted to go to NOIDA, after taking exit-3 were climbing on the bridge-1. After the end of first bridge but before start of second bridge there was a cut on the left-side wall to enter service road. So vehicles were using that exit after bridge-1 to approach service road adjacent to bridge-2 and take a U turn under bridge-2. As a result there was no accumulation of traffic under bridge-1.

 

However, NHAI has closed this by raising a concrete wall as a result people now cannot climb bridge-1 to go to NOIDA & Khoda.

 

I request this exit after bridge-1 may be opened for the time being so that some load of traffic can be distributed and 10-15 minutes of traffic jam can be avoided under bridge-1 without troubling anyone.

 

Regards,

Sanjeev.

[Sanjeev Goyal]

No. SKG/PMO/198                                21 Aug 2021

 

श्री नरेंद्र मोदी, प्रधानमंत्री,                                               

Post Office Nirman Bhawan,

New Delhi-110 011. pm...@pmo.nic.in

Interact with PM | Prime Minister of India (pmindia.gov.in)  PMOPG/E/2021/0486024

 

Sir,

 

Concerned Department: NHAI.

Reg: Blocking of Highways by farmers – Ghazipur Border.

 

With farmers capturing Delhi orders the citizens are passing through daily torture now for several months altogether.

 

In this regard, a petition was filed vide reference number PMOPG/E/2021/0456588 proposing a resolution for traffic issues at the Ghazipur border without touching the agitating farmers. However, NHAI has replied that for relocating farmers local administration is to be contacted. The petition was not about removing farmers but to ease the daily traffic trouble with slight temporary adjustment to the existing road divider. With the exchange of emails with NHAI, it appears that the solution is workable but the officers are hesitant in taking any action in the matter.

 

Likewise, there is also another issue where the problem of daily traffic vows at the Ghazipur border has been intensified by NHAI with untimely action of blocking an existing cut in the road. This blockage has worsened the situation and this cut could have remained open till farmers have blocked the highway. Emails have been written to the authority but there is no response.

 

Without getting site vacated from farmers, it would take only a small amount of effort to implement the proposed solution. Three weeks have passed and only emails (enclosed) are being exchanged without any action by NHAI. If lakhs of commuters are to be provided some relief, the action has to be taken beyond bureaucratic barriers.

 

In view of the above, it is requested that NHAI may be directed to work on the proposed resolution on priority.

 

Please acknowledge.

 

Regards,

 

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