ITANAGAR, Oct 3: A review meeting was held at the chief minister’s office here on Thursday with the officers of the highway department, in connection with the status of work on the four-lane Itanagar-Banderdewa section of NH 415 (Package A), and to plan for early completion of the project.
The project was started in September 2017 and was targeted to be completed by September 2020, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the long-drawn-out monsoon, the progress of work suffered. However, the physical achievement reported, as on 1 September, 2020, is 72.46 percent.
Formation-cutting has been completed throughout the stretch of the road, except for a small patch near the Shiv Mandir, which has been kept for filling up the culvert bridge in between the Shiv Mandir and the Dree ground.
Other works, such as protection walls, drains and cover drains, culverts and carpeting of the road will be taken up in earnest and completed during the coming work season. With the relaxation of the SOPs, the concessionaire is bringing in more labourers from nearby states to speed up the pace of work.
The state government has sanctioned Rs 82.85 crore for improving the capital’s roads and for repair and maintenance of the roads and bridges in and around the Itanagar capital region. The tender process for the purpose has been completed and the work will commence soon.
The department has been directed to take up the work on a mission mode and adhere to the timeline. It was further decided that the work progress would be reviewed every fortnight.
The highway department officers were also advised that timely maintenance of the highway must be carried out. (CM’s PR Cell)
