[ Karyir Riba ]
ANINI, 1 Dec: Rakhini Mipi, an environmental activist from Dibang Valley district, has yet again brought the NHIDCL under the scanner for poor quality work on the Roing-Anini highway (NH 313), and has accused the agency of “egregious violation of various notifications, draft contract agreement and Schedule A to P.”
In 2021, Mipi had filed an application with the National Green Tribunal (NGT), eastern bench, Kolkata, against the NHIDCL and other stakeholders for violation of the Environmental Act and reckless dumping of muck. The court had found the charges to be true and had imposed compensation on the constructing agency.
“Construction on said highway from 16 km of Roing-Hunli road to 21.5 km of Hunli-Anini road, which falls under the greenfield National Highway NH 313, having a total length of 74.863 kms, is still ongoing in the EPC mode between Roing and Anini. The abovementioned agreements are still being violated and structures/items such as roadside furniture (5th km stone, hectometer stone, delineator and bollards), traffic signages, road markings and appurtenances, pedestrian facilities, bus bays, breast wall, parapet wall, retaining/gabion wall, road land boundary and rip rap protection, haven’t been constructed as per the agreement and Schedule A. Moreover, damages on account of natural calamities have not been repaired till date, nor have they started the mandatory compulsory afforestation. Culverts, roadside drainages, minor junctions, earthen shoulder, waiting shed, roadway breadth have either not been constructed at all or not been constructed as per specifications. This has occurred due to lack of proper monitoring by the NHIDCL,” said Mipi.
Although Mipi’s complaint letter to the MoRTH EE (Itanagar regional office), dated 12.08.2024, received a reply from the NHIDCL ED (RO Itanagar) on 13.11.2024, Mipi said that “the replies are not satisfactory at all because the ground reality speaks a different story.”
He said, “I have pictures of these to support my findings. (a) Roadside furniture like 5th km stone, hectometer, dilineator and bollards have not been provided as per the agreement; 5th km stone pillar not yet installed by any EPC contractors; hectometer installed in some completed package but not yet painted and marked as 2,4,6,8, respectively; dilineator and bollards not provided in various packages. (b) Traffic signages, road marking and other appurtenances have not been provided as per agreement and very low quality of items found. (c) Pedestrian facilities not provided even in village area and Anini township areas. (d) Bus bays – some of the packages provided but in village areas not yet provided. (e) Repairs on account of natural calamities – debris still remains on carriageway in various packages, broken culvert have not yet been repaired, blacktop also still not repaired. (f) Retaining/babbion walls are of very low quality – some of the stretch walls already broken but not yet repaired. (g) Breast wall – while construction process bamboo and wooden sticks were used to support under the RCC concrete instead of iron bar. (h) Parapet wall not constructed upto the mark as per quality. Bamboo sticks and wooden sticks were used to construct the parapet wall in some stretches. (i) Road land boundary not provided as per schedule and low quality. (j) Rip rap protection not provided as per standard quality. (k) Disposal of debris – huge debris still remains on carriageway and roadside. Debris not shifted to muck disposal areas by EPC contractors in various packages. (l) Compulsory afforestation – not implemented in all packages till date. In this regard I filed RTI for the same but no reply yet. (m) Culverts – total quantities of culverts were not constructed till date but completion certificates submitted by EPC contractors and bills already disbursed without any counting of total culverts and bridges. Last time I personally counted and found very less culverts constructed in each package. (n) Roadside drainage not constructed as per specifications and very low quality works were executed by EPC contractors. (o) Minor junction 4 & 3 – not provided in various village areas and built-up areas. (p) Earthen shoulder – minimum distance between drainage and carriages way was not provided. (q) Waiting shed not provided in each village area – some waiting shed provided but not as per specifications. (r) Roadways not provided as per specifications in various stretches.”
“I am going to request for ground inspection in the coming days for counting of culverts, bridges, road furniture, marking of roads, carriage way, paved shoulders and other basic structure. Executing agency, including like-minded people, along with state government departments, must conduct a joint inspection of the entire stretch to unearth the various anomalies,” he added.
