Bhind (Madhya Pradesh): Members of the saint community have intensified their agitation over the delay in the six-laning of National Highway 719, warning that they will stop toll collection from March 16 if construction does not begin immediately.
The decision was taken at a Mahapanchayat held at Vishram Grih in Mehgaon on Saturday. The meeting, led by Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti district president Sant Kalidas Maharaj, resolved to halt toll collection at the Barohi and Baretha toll plazas as the next phase of the protest.
Addressing the gathering, Kalidas Maharaj said despite two years of assurances from the government and public representatives, work on the highway has not started. He said the narrow stretch and rising traffic have led to frequent accidents, alleging that one person dies on the road every other day. “This time, the protest will continue until construction begins,” he said.
After the meeting, protesters blocked the highway for about 30 minutes, causing a brief traffic disruption as a warning to the government.
The protest assumed a political dimension, with Congress leaders extending support. City president Dharmendra Singh Bhadouria attended the Mahapanchayat. Congress leader Manoj Depuria accused the BJP government of ignoring deaths on the highway while continuing toll collection.
Several saints, social workers and ex-servicemen attended the gathering and declared they would continue the agitation, even if it led to arrest.
