[Karyir Riba]
ANINI, 5 May: The Itanagar permanent bench of the Gauhati High Court has issued notices to the RWD chief executive officer, the SIC chief vigilance officer, the chief secretary, the Dibang Valley DC, and three firms – Dirang (W/Kameng)-based Tenzing Construction, Tawang-based TNT Enterprise, and Bomdila (W/Kameng)-based TTC Infra India.
The notices were issued on 1 May in response to the public interest litigation (PIL) regarding the construction of roads under the PMGSY in Dibang Valley district, submitted by Rakhini Mipi, a resident of Mipi village.
Mipi informed, “Out of 17 packages, three were under the case – construction of roads from Anini headquarters to Akunli, which is a stretch of 8.940 kms, at a cost of Rs 7,29,88,000; Anili Bazaar to Akunli is 6.5 kms, at a cost of Rs 5,44,57,000; and Anini headquarters to Maronli, which is 30 kms, at a cost of Rs 40,57,55,507.
“PMGSY projects are totally schemes for rural connectivity and to connect rural areas with adjoining towns for various purposes. However, in this case, the DPR was approved without any survey on ground, population data was manipulated, low work quality, culverts and CC drainage developed cracks, some names of villages were randomly taken into account, overlapping the DPRs.
“I submitted various complaint letters to the union rural development ministry, the state chief secretary, the RWD CE, the SIC, the Dibang Valley DC, and the EE Anini, but I haven’t received any response till date.
“In the near future, more projects will be brought under the court of law for transparency, accountability, work quality, construction as per DPR, and timely repair of the roads under the maintenance period,” he added.
The court notice reads: “The petitioner while monitoring the progress of the PMGSY roads construction within the district found several villages listed in the project documentation lack of road construction under PMGSY. Further, there was quality compromised, culverts were removed and retaining walls and breast walls were absent in the landslide-prone areas. There were compromised concrete-cement drainage systems which led to cracks. There was also overlapping projects. No roads were built in the villages mentioned in the DPR (Anguli, Agungo, Agago, Nulombo and Singo villages).
“It was also found that the connection between Anini and Maronli via BRTF road already existed. For the above reasons, the petitioner found that the PMGSY packages were falsely claimed through fabricated report,” the notice reads.
It also mentions that “complaint letters addressed to the relevant department by Mipi did not receive any response till date, including letters to the SIC and the chief secretary, because of which he had to approach the court by way of PIL, since the construction of roads within DV district is in the interest of public.”
The court has ordered the matter to be listed after four weeks.
