[Prafulla Kaman]
RUKSIN, 11 Mar: The Pasighat division of the public works department (PWD) has started restructuring the Mirem-Mikong-Jonai (MMJ) road in Ruksin without having prepared a detailed project report (DPR), which is causing grave concern among local leaders, including members of the MMJ Road Monitoring Committee (MMJRMC).
The MMJRMC had earlier approached PWD officials to maintain transparency in the road work and ensure quality of construction, but it is alleged that the contractor concerned started work before submission of the DPR.
The MMJRMC, a third-party public monitoring team, is facing problems in monitoring the road’s construction because the executing agency has not yet prepared any DPR for the work.
On Thursday, the monitoring committee’s members and PRI leaders of Ruksin sat in a meeting with PWD engineers at the Ruksin RWD guesthouse and discussed the MMJ road issue.
During the meeting, Pasighat PWD Division EE Tani Taki informed that the department had not prepared the DPR for the MMJ road work. He informed that he asked the contractor to submit the DPR, but “it has not been submitted yet.”
“As per norms, the contractor/firm is to conduct technical survey for the work and submit the DPR to the project implementing agency, the PWD. The authority will release the amount as mentioned in the paper during the bid tender,” the EE said, adding that he allowed the contractor to start construction work “for time-bound progress.”
After hearing the complaints from the local leaders, the EE made a decision to stop the road construction until the DPR is submitted to his office.
On the other hand, the MMJRMC and ZPMs requested the PWD officials to take necessary steps for time-bound execution of the ambitious road project while maintaining work quality.
“The sanction against the road work should not be returned under any reason as fund against such major road works are not sanctioned again,” they said.
It may be recalled that the DoNER ministry under its North East Road Sector Development Scheme has sanctioned Rs 42.27 crore for complete restructuring of the 15-km long MMJ road, out of which the first installment of Rs 15 crore has already been released.
Pasighat West MLA Ninong Ering had earlier blamed the PWD officials for the inordinate delay in execution the road project. The MLA had also approached Chief Minister Pema Khandu, seeking his personal intervention for early execution of the MMJ road project.