Day before son’s wedding, UP minister Rajbhar levels broken road as PWD waits for funds sanction
UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar was angry with the public works department over their lack of response to mending the road leading to his house.
Angry over the lack of response from the public works department (PWD) over his demand to construct a 500-metre broken stretch leading to his house in his native Fatehpur Khonda village near Varanasi, UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar wielded a spade and started constructing the road himself on Saturday.
Rajbhar, who heads BJP ally, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), has fixed his son Arvind’s marriage reception at his house on Sunday.
He has invited several senior leaders, ministers and officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, several UP ministers, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and other MLAs, SBSP state unit general secretary Shashi Pratap Singh said.
However, the PWD officials are yet to respond, Singh claimed.
An angry Rajbhar then started the levelling the broken road and patching up the stretch, along with some locals.
PWD executive engineer, Varanasi, Pradeep Kumar Jain said the estimate for construction of the road has been prepared and sent to PWD headquarters for sanctioning. “As soon as the fund is sanctioned, the road will be constructed.”
SBSP’s Singh said when the road leading to the house of a minister was in such a state, one could imagine the situation of roads elsewhere.
Soon after coming to power in 2017, the BJP government had ordered to make roads across the state potholes free.