Roadside shopkeepers fear dark future
KUMARHATTI: Hit by the major concern to face displacement due to propose four-laning of Kalka-Shimla national highway the roadside dhabha walas and other small time vendors were these days clueless on their future. With fear of unemployment looming large, these self employed youth mostly local have no other way than to look for other avenues to make their both ends meet.
Over the years the numbers of dhabhas, tea, meat and vegetable shops and small auto repair workshops have come up along highway near this town. In fact the increase in vehicles movements on highway has provided an opportunity for local youth to set up their business along highway.
While dhabha, meat and tea stalls ensured permanent employment, vegetable vends were based on season. However auto repair shops were a latest venture for local youth to earn handsome amount.
For local youth the highway was virtually a life line where they could be seen putting their hard work through the day. The guarantee of good business along highway has prompted many other youth to try their luck in various work hence number of vends have emerged between Jabli and Barog in last decade.
However, now when all set for four-laning between Parwanoo to Solan these youth were again finding them in same situation from where they started earlier.
The work was well settled and things were going smoothly, pointed out a sad and distressed owner of auto shop near here. We were hopeful that the project would be dropped but that was only our illusion. Our shops have to make way for four laning that would consume good chuck of land on both side of present highway, he rued.
The government should first look to settle us, maintained a dhabawala near here. We were not against four-laning but one should at least take note of our displacement. There should be some planning to rehabilitate the all displaced people, he rued.
The four-laning would only bring disaster, lamented a tea staler. Not only the people like us and others would face displacement on large scale but flora and fauna of region would also be sacrificed, he remarked.
Yes! These people are right, why should they be displaced? A 4 laning project in the hills will turn out to be irrational and at least 10 times more expensive. Imagine the Millions and Millions of tones of excavation that will have to be done and where will these debris be dumped? This will destroy thousands of hectares of Forest. NOT WORTH IT. But then develpment is equally important in this, a four lane highway is the need of the hour, for better tourism development. and overall development of the State as a whole.
I think the best way out is to make TUNNELS, The cost may be the same or even more. See the bright side. Faster travel. Imagine reaching Chandigarh in 40 minutes. One can Live in Shimla and work in Chandigarh or otherwise. The cost of aquiring land and buildings will be saved. There should be an option to travel overground on the old routes too. The Govt. can charge money for this Tunnel travel. THINK ABOUT THE SAVINGS TUNNELS ARE THE ONLY PRACTICAL SOLUTION OF FOUR LANING IN THE HILLS.
In actual the problem is not the cost to build four lane, but the rehabilitation of people. if you do some job or business and you gets unemployed all of a sudden,, How will you feel? If construction of four lane is development the unemployment is the best example of underdevelopment or no development. if you take 1 lac you should pay back 1.2 lacs so it seems to be usefull
shimla is the most beautiful city in india which lack infrastructure which in return stops companies to establish bussinesses there which in turn can get more revenue to the state that can be converted into more benefitial projects for the common people of himachal that can make it one of the worlds best city to live in, I think the best way out is to make TUNNELS,and make satalite township with metro train facility with every tunnel as stopage The cost may be morebut imagine. Faster travel on metro or it cud be fast track train on the metro pattern using pillars to reduced or to increase heights to give requisite infrastructure to the rail tracks. Imagine reaching Chandigarh in 40 minutes I m sure that cud be dream come true for many people who are willing to establish bussinesses in the suburb of himachal and live either in shimla or chandigrah. The cost of aquiring land and buildings will be saved. There should be an option to travel overground on the old routes too. The Govt. can charge money for this Tunnel travel. THINK ABOUT THE SAVINGS TUNNELS ARE THE ONLY PRACTICAL SOLUTION OF FOUR LANING IN THE HILLS.
i think goverment have to take right deseson to destroy buldings for four laining .becous most of pepole stand here his own base not stand by any prosper firm