[ Bengia Ajum ]
NAHARLAGUN, 2 Nov: The Itanagar Permanent Bench of the Gauhati High Court has given the PWD (Highway) Department two months’ time to complete the maintenance work on the Papu Nallah-Nirjuli road.
The court took this decision after the PWD (Highway) informed it that the maintenance work has started and that a new firm has been assigned the task, as the previous contractor, Woodhill Shivam, had failed to carry out the maintenance work.
Earlier, the court had given the contractor one month to complete the maintenance work, which they failed to execute. The PWD (Highway) informed the court that Woodhill Shivam gave its consent to the department on 13 October to allow another agency to take over the maintenance work.
Based on this, M/s Tama Fabrication Works has been assigned the maintenance work for the Papu Nallah-Nirjuli stretch, which is to be completed within 60 days. The court has directed the department to file a status report on the maintenance work by 3 December.
The department further informed the court that the deadline for completion of the flyover and highway under Package B has been extended until July 2026.
A division bench comprising Justice Kardak Ete and Justice Marli Vankung passed the order while hearing Public Interest Litigation (PIL) No 11/2024, filed in July 2024 by Vijay Jamoh and Doge Lona, both residents of Naharlagun. Senior advocate Dicky Panging appeared as the counsel for the petitioners.
The petitioners alleged that the construction of the Papu Nallah-Nirjuli stretch had missed its deadline and sought the high court’s intervention to expedite the project.
The slow pace of construction under Package B, which starts from Papu Nallah and ends at Nirjuli, has been causing immense inconvenience to the people of the Itanagar Capital Region. Despite several assurances from the state government, the work continues at a snail’s pace.
