DIMAPUR, AUGUST 6 (MExN): The Lotha Hoho and Rengma Hoho have served an ultimatum to the National Highway Authorities, Nagaland to complete earthwork of the NH-2 widening project (40 km to 72 km Tseminyu-Wokha stretch) by the end of November 2017.
They demanded that the work be completed regardless or rain, stating that “it will no longer be negotiable” and informed that failure to do so would compel the organisations to approach the court.
The project has been running for over 7 years, when Sanction was accorded by MoRTH, GOI. The tendering process went haywire due to politicisation, the two organisations claimed and cited the series of incidents involving the tender process and the subsequent legal battles regarding the works.
The Lotha Hoho and the Rengma Hoho informed that they had jointly submitted a memorandum to the Nagaland National Highway Authority in 2015, to which the then Minister had assured that the works would be started within two weeks.
“Only after the LH & RH Memorandum the NHAN revised the DPR and the MoRTH sanctioned the Revised DPR on the 31.10.2016. Following the sanction, the Hohos waited with hope that work would be started timely; but to no avail,” they lamented.
They further recalled that the two hohos after waiting six months, served an Ultimatum to the NHAN to start the work; failing which total indefinite bandh would be imposed on NH 2. A meeting on the matter was held on the April 17, 2017 where the NHAN assured the Hohos that work would be started within three months, latest by July 17, 2017.
With that timeframe also expired, the Lotha Hoho and the Rengma Hoho said that work has still not started. “It just seems that the Nagaland National Highways Authority is hell-bent to fool the Hohos only instead of executing the work. It may be emphasised that the GOI (MORTH) had approved the DPR and accorded sanction on October 31, 2016, with specific condition that the work must start by December 2016, and to spend 20% of the sanctioned amount within 2016-17, or else the sanction would lapse; and that the work be completed by end of November 2019,” the two hohos informed.
It lamented that due to inaction of the NHAN, the financial year 2016-17 is now over. “It is now made known that an Arunachal-based contractor, by the name TK Engineering Corporation Pvt Ltd, has been awarded the contract work for this stretch of the NH 2. The Hohos also smell rotten fish in the award of the contract work to this contractor. However the Hohos would, for the time being, only insist on the work quality rather than raising other questions,” they added.
They further asked the NHAN to hand over copies of all related documents such as the DPR, Work Order, Agreement, MoRTH Notification on Land/Damage Compensation, within 10 (ten) days, i.e. by August 17. This was assured by the NHAN in previous meetings, according to the Hohos.
They meanwhile noted that had the work been allotted to the genuine bidder, the work could have been done several years back and termed “such attitude of the NHAN as discriminatory and questionable.”
