NECF Writes to Gadkari, Blames Unscientific Road Works for Landslides
Mangaluru: Expressing concern over the incidents of landslides across India, the National Environment Care Federation (NECF) has called for urgent intervention from the Minister of Road Transport Nitin Gadkari and key government officials.
In a detailed letter addressed to Nitin Gadkari, the Chief Secretary, Secretary of MoRTH, and the Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the NECF has alleged severe consequences of unscientific road widening practices.
The letter, signed by state Secretary Shashidhar Shetty, underscores "the recent tragic landslide across India occurring due to unscientific and reckless development practices, such as road widening and tunnel construction in eco-sensitive Ghats and hills".
“These incidents highlight the failure to conduct proper geotechnical investigations, slope stabilization, soil reinforcement, and other essential measures to mitigate the risk of landslides,” the letter notes.
It mentions the neglect in enforcing the National Green Highways Policy, which mandates sustainable infrastructure practices like planting native tree varieties to prevent soil erosion.
“This negligence has directly contributed to these devastating incidents, with no actions being taken by NHAl authorities to address the ongoing issues. Consequently, most of the NHAI authorities, engineers, and contracting agencies evade accountability without facing any penalties,” the NECF stated.
The NECF has demanded that NHAI authorities be held accountable for fatalities resulting from potholes, landslides, and other related incidents. It proposes that relevant NHAI officials, including engineers and contractors, should provide compensation of ₹5 crores per deceased individual from their own salaries, ensuring taxpayer money is not used for compensation.
Additionally, the organization urged the strict adoption of the National Green Highways Policy for sustainable infrastructure development, emphasizing the need for proper geotechnical measures and the planting of native tree varieties to prevent soil erosion and mitigate landslides.
The NECF has requested a response within seven days regarding the steps being taken to address these urgent issues for safer national highways in the future.
