Mail News Service
Imphal, Apr 10 : N.Rajendro President Information Centre for Hill Areas, Manipur today submitted a memorandum to Pallam Raju, MOS Defence through I Hemochandra, MLA. It was informed that ICHAM undertook a three-day journey on NH 37 from September 14 to 16 last year, i.e. 2011 to see for ourselves the ongoing upgradation works on the highway.
The memorandum added, “As you may already be aware, the stretch between Imphal and Nungba, then upto Awangkhul and the stretch between Jiribam and Makru bridge are manageably okay as of the present, though there is still much more to be done. Unfortunately, the rest of the highway is in very poor shape. Particularly the stretch between Khongsang and Kaimai via Kambiron is the worst. We found that the particular was completely a mud road, with chest-deep pits. Vehicles with four-wheel drive engines had to be driven in first gear in full throttle to get out of the mud pits.
To our astonishment, we found only 17 labourers laying stones on a few metre patch of the mud road near Kambiron village. We found just one or two, at the most three or four labourers scattered here and there on the highway ostensibly working by throwing a few stones over the mud road. Otherwise any scene of earnest work on part of the BRO anywhere on the highway was conspicuous by its absence.
We along with the media persons met the Comdt. of 765 Bn. BRO, Shri PN Yadav in his office at Bn HQ located at Gularthon, Jiribam on September 15 around 11 AM wherein he informed us that contract for surfacing work (metalling and black topping) of some of the portions of the highway had been awarded to two big firms, namely ABCI Ltd and Gautam Constructions Company from Assam, who in turn had divided the works among five/six sub contractors. All process for the contracts were concluded in October, 2010 and August, 2011. But none of the contractors had started working by them.
The comdt also said that they were facing acute shortage of the materials (stones). Yet the entire upgradation work will be completed by March, 2013, he said.
However, from what we saw and found, we were of the view that the BRO would never be able to complete the work within the targeted period. Meanwhile, the Union Minister of Defence, AK Antony had written a letter to the Chief Minister of Manipur on 27 July, 2011 stating that the BRO was making all out efforts for upgradation of NH 37 and has been directed to complete it by target date of December, 2013. Further, 7 offiicers, 169 staff and 1280 casual paid labourers had been deployed on NH 37, and 64 vehicles/equipment and 425 casual paid labourers woul be exclusively deployed for
monsoon contingencies on NH 37, the Union Minister had informed the Hon’ble Chief Minister.
But the three days i.e. 14 to 16 September, 2011 that we were travelling on the same highway, it rained intermittently, and we found only a few labourers and vehicles supposedly working in a dilly-dallying. The media team was the witness.
In another letter sent to the Principal Secretary (Works), Government of Manipur, on 9 August, 2011, Lt Col Prashant Gaur, 2 1C for Commander, BRO 765 Bn, had informed that 1300 manpower and many vehicles/equipment were deployed on NH 37 (Imphal-Jiribam Section) for the upgradation work.
We beg to disagree with what the 2 1C for Commander, 765 Bn, BRO had informed about the deployment of vehicles/equipment, etc. Indeed we strongly felt that the BRO had grossly misled the highly dignified office of the Hon’ble Union Minister of Defence and also the Government of Manipur to cover up its sluggish manner.
ICHAM monitora the progress of the upgradation work of the NH 37 every month by organizing trip on this highway, and nearly 60% of the upgradation work on the 221 km-highway is deemed to have been completed so far.
However, we suggest the following steps for the Union Government and the State Government to see if these can be initiated in order to reduce or altogether remove the various factors impeding the efforts for upgradation of NH 37, and also solve the problems being faced by the truckers/transporters and passengers on the highway.
a) A committee comprising officials of the concerned Ministries of the Union Government and the State Government be formed to monitor the progress of the upgradation work of the highway being executed by the BRO on a monthly basis. If left to itself, the BRO alone can never complete the task within the prescribed time schedule of December, 2013.
b) Two main complaints among others of the BRO are that they can’t get materials (stone quarry) from the local areas (villages) and that they need security protection round the clock.
The Government could take appropriate steps in this regard immediately.”
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/pallam-raju-briefed-by-icham-about-pathetic-highway-condition/
