National highway widening row: SC raps Rajasthan

The Supreme Court today came down on Rajasthan government for allegedly creating "hindrances" in a project relating to widening of a particular stretch on National Highway-8 between Gurgaon and Jaipur.
"A major part of the national highway is complete...Now do you want it should be held up. Is the state (Rajasthan) in a state of helplessness now," a vacation bench of justices Praffulla C Pant and Amitava Roy said.
"Instead of facilitating the project, you are creating hindrances... Do you want that the National highway project be held up because of this small issue," it said.
The apex court said that although it appreciates the problem, but the state should go before the High Court for seeking review or clarification of the earlier order.

The widening of the highway is held up due to a 'bavadi' (stepwell) and 'samadhi' (memorial of Baba Balnath).
The High Court had directed removal of a 'bavadi' which was dry and shrinking of the 'samadhi' area for the road widening work being done by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
The state government, in its appeal, told the apex court that," the impugned (HC) order failed to appreciate that there was a proposal for Road over Bridge (RoB) and an underpass which were specifically in order to save a 'bavadi' and the four decade old 'samadhi' which is of religious importance".