Rahul Gandhi seeks agency-wise accountability over poor rural roads in Raebareli

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday flagged the poor condition of roads built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in his Raebareli constituency, displaying photographs of pothole-riddled stretches during a District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting.

Gandhi sought details from officials about the agencies responsible for constructing the damaged roads and pressed for action to address the condition of the stretches.

A nominated member of the DISHA committee, Umesh Bahadur Singh alias Bablu Singh, said Gandhi placed photographs of the damaged roads before officials and also identified specific roads while seeking action.

The PMGSY executive engineer assured the meeting that the roads would be repaired, Singh said.

Gandhi also stressed the need for proper identification and record-keeping of roads constructed by different agencies so that responsibility for their maintenance could be clearly established.

“The road issue was raised after Gandhi examined the condition of roads in the district and presented photographic evidence during the meeting, rather than merely seeking information from officials,” Singh said.

Gandhi, who is on a two-day visit to Raebareli, attended the meeting at the collectorate along with Congress' Amethi MP Kishori Lal Sharma, elected representatives and officials. The meeting reviewed the implementation of various central government schemes in the district.

He left the collectorate without speaking to reporters.

Meetings with locals, development projects

Earlier on Wednesday, Gandhi met Congress functionaries and representatives of several organisations at the Bhuemau guest house. People from Raebareli, Amethi and Sultanpur also met him and raised issues concerning their respective areas, Congress leaders said.

Gandhi also handed over two ambulances to the health department and inaugurated development projects worth around Rs 3 crore, party leaders said.

The DISHA meeting was attended by UP Food and Civil Supplies Minister Manoj Kumar Pandey, Horticulture Minister Dinesh Pratap Singh and other elected representatives and officials.

Pandey later said the meeting covered various central government schemes, including food security. He said 21.92 lakh people in Raebareli were currently receiving ration under the government's food security programme.

On the district's roads, Pandey said around 16,000 small and major roads had been constructed over the past five years.

SP protest outside collectorate

Gandhi's visit also coincided with a protest by Samajwadi Party MLAs Rahul Lodhi and Shyam Sundar Bhati outside the collectorate ahead of the DISHA meeting.

The legislators alleged that the district panchayat was ignoring local issues and carried placards highlighting school closures, alleged land encroachment, false cases, farmers' problems, unemployment and poor basic amenities.

Lodhi alleged that development work was not being carried out in the district and accused the BJP-led government of harming children's future.

He claimed that a large number of schools had been closed in his Harachandpur constituency and alleged that land was being encroached upon without adequate action.

The SP legislators said they would raise these issues at the DISHA meeting and question the district panchayat leadership over its alleged inaction. Lodhi also questioned what local authorities were doing when Gandhi was raising issues concerning Raebareli in Parliament.

Gandhi had arrived in Raebareli on Tuesday evening and met traders, including those from the general, bullion and pharmacy sectors, as well as lawyers, to discuss their concerns, according to local Congress leaders.

His visit has drawn political attention ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with Congress functionaries and leaders from neighbouring Amethi and Sultanpur also meeting the former Congress president.