Irked By Bad Roads In Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh Energy Minister Walks Barefoot

Annoyed over the poor condition of roads in his hometown, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh minister Pradhuman Singh Tomar has announced that he would continue to walk barefoot till the condition of the roads improves.

He also apologised to people for the problems they faced due to the roads.

Making an announcement on Thursday, Energy Minister Tomar said, "I should also feel the pain of people facing problems because of bad roads and I will not use footwear till the roads become fit to walk again." The Gwalior Municipal Corporation (GMC) officials claimed that the road repair work is going on at a fast pace.

The minister said although the government has allocated funds for the road repair work, the civic body is working slowly. Mr Tomar asked the civic officials to work at a faster pace, and apologised to people for the problems being faced by them due to the poor condition of roads in Gwalior.

Mr Tomar vowed not to wear shoes till three roads in the city -- located in Laxman Talaiya, Gende Wali road and Hospital road -- are not repaired.

Gwalior Municipal Commissioner Kishore Kanyal admitted that roads are in bad shape due to rains, and that they will be repaired soon. The agencies concerned are working at a fast pace to repair the roads, he said.

Meanwhile, Congress's district unit president Devendra Sharma demanded the resignation of the minister, saying that even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in the state, and although there are two ministers from the region in the Union cabinet, Tomar has failed to fulfil his responsibilities. "By not wearing footwear, he is running away from his duties," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)