During the construction of a road stretching from Gadhri Brahman to Sukku Ka Nagla, approximately one kilometre in length and situated within the jurisdiction of the Bhusawar subdivision, the arbitrary actions and high-handedness of PWD officials have wreaked havoc on precious resources. Due to this, aggrieved farmers are seething with anger.
Balram Sharma, former ward panch of the Gram Panchayat Gogaira, and resident of the village Sukku Ka Nagla, revealed that the road under construction, spanning from Sukku Ka Nagla to the Forest Department, is an implausible path, measuring anywhere between 25 to 60 feet in width. It is indeed recorded in the revenue records as an unfeasible path.
However, some influential individuals had already claimed this land for their fields by encroaching upon it. But now, under the fear of PWD officials and contractors, these influential figures have forcefully turned this disputed land into a road, thereby destroying green neem and sheesham trees along with ripened bajra crops belonging to the poor farmers.
Expressing his anger, Balram stated that neither the government has acquired their land for road construction, nor have they been issued any notices regarding land acquisition. Additionally, the impossible path of the road has not undergone any measurement survey, rendering accusations of the road encroaching upon their fields baseless.
Furthermore, Gomti Devi, a resident of the village Mainapura, pointed out that the influential landowners whose fields lie opposite theirs had already mixed the land of the impossible path into their fields a year ago. Therefore, as soon as the road construction began and PWD officials attempted to demarcate the land, she opposed them, demanding that the impossible path be measured first to ensure that justice is served. However, the poor seldom find a voice when dealing with the powerful, and she was driven away. Subsequently, she approached higher authorities to demand a proper measurement of the road. Yet, the matter remains unresolved.
Frustrated, she sought refuge in the courts. Unfortunately, she alleges that PWD officials, in defiance of court orders, started the road construction without any proper measurement and forcibly destroyed her ripened bajra crop to make way for the road. This has resulted in significant financial losses for her. Gomti Devi mentioned that she would once again approach the courts, condemning the high-handedness of PWD officials.
