Munish Sood
SARKAGHAT (MANDI): Dharampur MLA Chander Shekhar’s indefinite hunger strike against the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has entered its eighth day, drawing widespread attention across Himachal Pradesh.
The Congress legislator has been on fast-unto-death since September 8 at Avah Devi Chowk, demanding action against the company engaged in widening National Highway-3. He has accused the contractor of carrying out “unscientific” excavation and substandard work that has put hundreds of local homes at risk.
According to Chander Shekhar, the four-laning project — awarded to Gawar Construction Company in February 2021 with a completion deadline of February 2022 — has been allegedly marred by repeated delays, poor quality standards and lack of accountability.
Villagers claim that over 400 houses have developed cracks due to reckless hill cutting and blasting. Local residents allege that despite repeated complaints, the MoRTH officials have failed to intervene.
The MLA insists that the project can only move forward if there is a written assurance on four counts:
- A fixed completion deadline.
- Compensation for damaged homes.
- Replacement of MoRTH staff currently handling the project.
- Strict quality control mechanisms.
Political support grows
On Sunday, Bhoranj MLA Suresh Kumar and Sujanpur MLA Capt Ranjeet Singh (retd) visited the protest site to express solidarity. Addressing the gathering, Suresh Kumar warned that if MoRTH officials were not replaced and corrective steps not initiated by Monday evening, he too would sit on a hunger strike, joined by supporters from his constituency.
He also urged Union Minister Anurag Thakur, MP from Hamirpur, to take up the issue with the Centre. “This agitation is not political but a people’s movement. If the central government continues to ignore it, MoRTH officials will be solely responsible for the consequences,” Kumar said.
A large number of locals, including women and children, thronged the protest site on Sunday, turning the demonstration into a mass movement.
With the fast entering its second week, Chander Shekhar’s health has begun to decline. On Saturday night, Mandi CMO Dr Deepali Sharma and BMO Dr Anil Kumar visited the site and administered glucose drip with family consent. Sarkaghat SDM Swati Dogra and former Nerchowk Medical College MS Dr Panna Lal also examined him.
Medical teams have been deployed for round-the-clock monitoring amid fears that his condition could deteriorate further if the stalemate continues.
The CPI(M) has strongly criticised both the state and central governments for failing to address the protest. Local leader Bhupender Singh alleged that while the BJP remained silent for years despite substandard work by the company, the Congress government too has left its own MLA isolated.
He demanded that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu intervene directly and write to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari or speak to him personally. “If the CM supports the MLA’s stand, he must act. But the absence of any Congress minister or party official at the protest site raises questions about the seriousness of their commitment,” Singh said.
The CPI(M) also questioned the authenticity of Chander Shekhar’s indefinite fast, allegedly citing viral videos claiming that the MLA spends nights at a local rest house before returning to the site in the morning. They argued that if he is on a genuine fast-unto-death, he should remain at the protest site without interruption.
