ITANAGAR, 3 Sep: The All Arunachal Pradesh Trans-Arunachal Highway Welfare Association (AAPTAHWA) has alleged that TAH construction agency PWD and the NHIDCL carried out a series of irregularities in the construction of roads, thereby leading to poor quality work.
Addressing a press conference at the press club here on Friday, AAPTAHWA president Papu Tayem said that “not adhering to the principles and components of the detailed project report as per the guidelines of the MoRTH in the ongoing construction of the TAH in the state has led to serious natural disasters as well as poor quality work.”
“No proper muck disposal plans are being identified by the construction agency, which has naturally led to flood-like situation in many cases. Subsequently, the action has also led to damage of various paddy fields, aquatic life, forests, etc,” he said.
Tayem said that the construction agency should ensure that every component of the road construction, “from cross-drainage, protection works, paved shoulders, and proper slope formation cutting and proper quality control unit, etc, measures are carried out properly.”
He appealed to the state government to include a couple of members from the association in the state TAH construction monitoring team, “so that every aspect of work is well-checked and maintained.”
Tayem claimed that there are no regular site engineers, and that the national and state monitoring teams are not carrying out proper work verification.
“The contractors also use low quality materials, ranging from rods, cement, sand gravel boulder, which ultimately results in frequent damage of roads,” he said, and appealed to the state government to “deny payments to the contractors till the work is satisfactory and is of better quality.”
He said that the quality of TAH roads should on no account be compromised. “Therefore, the students and community-based organizations in their respective districts should also check the work, wherever TAH work is in progress,” he added.
Tayem also informed that several complaints regarding poor quality of work have been received by the association from its district units’ members.
Earlier, on 31 August, the association had in a complaint letter to the chief secretary appealed for his interference to check the irregularities, and had urged him not to release payments unless the works are satisfactory.
