SHILLONG (Meghalaya), Sep 25: Union Road, Transport & Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari reviewed the national highway (NH) projects being implemented in Arunachal Pradesh, and asked the state government to expedite the land acquisition, forest clearance, and other issues related to the projects.
“Execution of many important projects are getting over-delayed due to the state’s own problems with regard to land acquisitions, forest clearance
and other issues, causing huge loss and embarrassment to the ministry,” Gadkari said on Tuesday at the two-day review meeting of the NH projects being implemented in the eight NE states, at the State Convention Centre here.
Gadkari said the ministry would not take time to sanction the projects once the projects are free from encumbrances.
The union minister also asked the contractors to improve their performance and expedite the works by increasing their manpower and machineries. He cautioned that, if required, non-performing contractors would be “terminated and banned from further contesting in the tender process.”
Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein while presenting the status of the NH projects in the state also submitted a memorandum to the union minister, seeking early sanctioning of the Potin-Pangin road (NH-13), besides fund for repair and maintenance of four major bridges, the Hukanjuri-Khonsa road, and the remaining 20.6 kms (Package B & C) of the four-laning of Itanagar-Banderdewa road (NH-415).
Mein also sought early sanctioning of the remaining work on the Lalpul-Manmao-Changlang and the Longding-Tissa-Khonsa roads, the contracts for which were terminated earlier because of non-performance of the contractors.
He also sought sanctioning of the remaining fund of Rs 103.99 crore, out of Rs 113 crores, required for permanent restoration of the damages caused by landslides and floods during 2017-’18.
“The ministry has so far allotted Rs 9.01 crore only for temporary restoration,” said Mein, and sought an additional Rs 45.71 crore for restoring the flood damages which occurred during the current financial year (up to August 2018-19). He also sought another allotment of Rs 200 crore during the current financial year for FDR and maintenance works.
The DCM requested Gadkari for formal declaration of the four existing state roads – the Akajan-Likabali-Bame road, the Margherita-Changlang road, the Daporijo-Gerukamukh road (Dumporijo) to GerukaMukh (Assam/DullangMukh)-Gogamukh at Dhemaji district in Assam (which comes under the greenfield alignment), and the Tezu-Chapakhawa road via Sunpara – that were earlier approved in principle as national highways.
“The state has a total of 72 packages with a total length of 2,537 kms under NH, having a tentative cost of Rs 25,000 crore, executed by agencies such as the state PWD, the MoRTH (BOT), the BRO and the NHIDCL,” Mein said.
The proposed Arunachal Frontier Highway was also discussed during the meeting, as also the issues and problems in connection with the executing agencies and the contractors.
Earlier, Gadkari dedicated to the people the upgraded and renovated two-lane road from Jowai to Ratacherra.
Besides the chief ministers, deputy chief ministers and PWD ministers of the Northeast states, heads of executing agencies and representatives of the contractors also attended the meeting. (DCM media cell)
