[ Hofe Dada ]
ITANAGAR, 12 Jun: The construction work under Packages B and C of National Highway (NH) 415 is expected to be completed by December next year.
The stretch under Package B, from Papu Nallah to Nirjuli, is only 11.3 kms long, and yet the work on it is progressing at a snail’s pace.
Speaking to this daily, a resident of the Yupia trijunction area said that “the executing agencies should expedite their work and try to complete the work before the arrival of the monsoon season.”
A resident of Lekhi expressed dissatisfaction over the dusty road and said that “the agencies concerned should at least come up with a plan to sprinkle water on the dusty road,” adding that two-wheeler riders are largely affected by dust on sunny days.
The stretch under Package C, from Nirjuli to Banderdewa, which is 7.3 kms long (including an approximately 1.1 km long viaduct), and is to be completed by August 2024, “is in progress, with 54.36 percent of the work already done,” PHED Highway EE Bini Pelen informed.
He said that the main problem in the construction of NH 415 is “the existing cross-drain, which we have to reconstruct.”
On the pre-monsoon preparedness, the EE said that “we have instructed the engineers concerned to clear the drains, and machinery will be made available to clear the blockages.”
The real challenge is the timeframe, as it is unclear whether the work under the two packages will be completed as per the agreement signed in this regard. The completion deadline of Package B is December 2024, while the completion deadline of Package C is August 2024.
Pelen said that “the main challenge under the two packages is the residents of ICR plying on the road even at night, when work is being done.”
“Even from 9:30 pm to 4:30 am, you can see vehicles plying on the road, which is another factor delaying the work,” the EE said, adding, however, that “the work under the two packages will be completed as per the agreement, as most of the work has already been completed.”
Package C was awarded to Odisha-based M/s ARSS Infrastructure Projects Ltd, which gave it over to Bomdila-based sub-contractor M/s TTC Infra India.
Package B was awarded to Odisha-based construction company M/s Woodhill-Shivam (JV), which later sublet it to M/s TK Engineering Consortium Pvt Ltd, Naharlagun. (Hofe Dada is an intern, The Arunachal Times)
