NHAI engineer alleges assault by HP minister

NEW DELHI: An NHAI engineer posted in Shimla has alleged that he and another officer were assaulted by Himachal Pradesh rural development and panchayati raj minister Anirudh Singh during a site inspection on Monday.

Both the officers have been admitted to Indira Gandhi Medical College & Hospital (IGMC) in Shimla.In his complaint to the Dhalli police station in-charge, the NHAI engineer, Achal Jindal, said he, along with site engineer Yogesh, had gone to attend a meeting called by Shimla SDM to review the collapse of a multi-storey building at Chamyana. But since the SDM was not there, he proceeded to Bhatakuffar, where four-laning work is going on.Jindal said he came to know that the minister was also present there with some locals. On the previous night, he said, Singh had asked him about the collapse of the building near a construction site at Chamyana.In his complaint, Jindal added that the contractor had told him that the inhabitants of the said building were evacuated before its collapse. He said he had informed the minister that the building was out of NHAI’s jurisdiction — Right of Way.

The engineer told police that as per the agreement the state govt was to provide compensation in case of any damage and he had shared all details with the minister. “But Singh started using abusive language. I and my site engineer were taken to a room of a local where the minister assaulted us. He hurled a pitcher full of water on me. As a result, I suffered injuries and started bleeding. When the site engineer tried to save me, he was also attacked.

The SDM and others did not help us,” Jindal said.The Central Engineering Services Officers’ Association has urged Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari “to take up this matter with the highest authorities in the country” to ensure that justice is delivered. The NHAI Engineers’ Association has also demanded “immediate and exemplary action against all those responsible for this heinous act”.