Days after a devastating accident on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway that killed 13 people, the Rajasthan Congress on Sunday demanded the resignation of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, blaming his Corruption and dereliction of duty by departments and toll companies.
Former minister and Congress leader Pratap Singh Khachariyas blamed the Centre, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and toll operations for the Jaipur Bankrota accident business.
Calling NHAI the most “corrupt department” in the country, Kachariavas said “a corrupt system led to a tragic fire that killed 13 people after the crash.”
Kacharias claimed that despite collecting huge toll revenue, the company responsible for the Jaipur-Ajmer Expressway failed to complete the required work and ignored basic safety measures. He also accused Gadkari of favoring toll companies and allowing them to evade their responsibilities.
“The tender conditions were clear – the toll companies had to ensure proper culverts, hospitals, ambulances and road safety. However, these were not provided. The toll companies and NHAI officials should be arrested immediately,” he said,
He demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore for each victim and a government job for one family member.
The Congress leader also criticized the state government for inaction, saying despite the chief minister’s visit to the accident site, no major repair work was carried out.
Kacharya further claimed that Gadkari’s promises remained unfulfilled.
“In 2014, Gadkari flew in a helicopter to inspect the Jaipur-Delhi highway and promised to repair it within six months. To this day, the highway remains unsafe and riddled with corruption,” he said.
The Congress party called for immediate arrests, hefty fines on toll companies and urgent safety measures to prevent another tragedy.