Wokha, January 9 (MExN): The Lotha Hoho (LH) and its frontal organisations today expressed concern over the delay in implementation of the widening and strengthening of the National Highway-2 (NH-2) stretch passing Wokha town and urged Union Road Ministry’s intervention, among others.
‘The Ministry (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways) is requested to examine the matter and to summon the concerned authorities for necessary action to ameliorate the implementation work,” read a joint statement issued by the organisations via Lotha Hoho.
The organisations also urged the Ministry to blacklist the contractor, M/S TTC Infra India Ltd, and to allot the work to any other competent contractor.
The frontal organisations include Village Council Chairmen Association, Lotha Students’ Union, Lotha Eloe Hoho (Women Hoho), Lotha Youth Hoho, Joint Action Committee (JAC) on NH-2 road project on the 10.6 kilometre stretch through Wokha town.
The organisations further asserted that stakeholders are not hindering the work execution but only insisting on proper implementation, as per approved specifications.
The stakeholders know the ground reality and the contractor is responsible for the delay and should not be allowed to escalate the matter further but rather blacklisted, they asserted.
The statement also accused the Wokha District Administration and the concerned NH Division of being “lackadaisical in attitude and least concerned for the welfare of the concerned beneficiary people.”
“With the present trend going as it is, the stakeholders would have no other option; but to demanded for CBI inquiry or the like,” it added.
It further alleged “mischievous compensation payments” and asserted that the responsible District Administration and NH officers be held accountable by taking disciplinary action as per relevant laws.
Instead of giving up, any delay would only aggravate the matter, it asserted.
Accordingly, the Lotha organisations led by LH urged the concerned authorities and the contractor to solve the imbroglio at the earliest so as to avert “any further confrontation” and improve the work implementation.”
Background of the issue
As per statement, the widening and strengthening of the NH-2 project via Wokha town covers a 10.6 km stretch from 72.4 km to 83 km.
The project was sanctioned at estimated cost of Rs.12231.78.00 lakh, amounting to around 1,53,94,150, (Rs 11.53 crore) per km. The amount for damage compensation was Rs 17,79,39,874 ( Rs 17.79 cr) or Rs 1,67,86,780 (Rs 1.67 cr) per km.
The contract work has been allotted to M/S TTC Infra India Ltd with a specified average carriageway of 8.50 meters (28 feet).
Hence formation width (total width of the road) is carriageway plus the shoulders on both sides and the drain, the statement maintained.
Accordingly, the organisations said that people of district in general and Wokha town in particular, have been eagerly waiting the up gradation for the last two years but due to various excuses like improper payment of damage compensation, non-acquisition of compensated land, non-cooperation by contractor, etc, the project work has not been implemented so far.
Numerous coordination meetings have had been convened by the district administration, highway authority, stakeholder NGOs, CSOs etc, the statement said.
Among others, a High level Consultation meeting was convened by the Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister and Minister in-charge of NH, TR Zeliang on November 16, 2023 in Kohima.
The meeting culminated in agreeing by all parties that the work would resume on December 1 and the Deputy CM also personally inspected the work site as assured at the meeting on December 4.
At a meeting after the verification, all parties unanimously agreed to resume the work immediately, the statement said.
Meanwhile, the statement further pointed out that the improper acquisition of compensated sites and structures are to be acquired by the District Administration and NH authorities as per the record of payments of Compensation.
Surprisingly, the concerned authorities and the contractor have so far not taken any action, it said, wondering why above authorities as well as the contractor are not “showing any concern for the people.”
The Wokha district administration and the NH Kohima Division have jointly assessed the compensation amounts and paid by them according to their assessment. Hence, they will be held responsible, it added.
Moreover, the statement noted that problem of acquisition does no pertain to the whole stretch and the contractor should have executed the work on finalised portions.
However, the contractor withdrew all machineries, inventories, workforce etc from worksite since May 2023, citing lame excuses, it alleged.
Accordingly, the organisations stated that it is “no longer tolerable” and the stakeholders would not be responsible for any untoward eventuality.
“The contractor should be blacklisted and not be allotted any more contract work,” they asserted in the release.
The organisations further pointed out that the sanction period will reportedly lapse on March 31, 2024 but hardly 10% of the works have been executed.
Given the impossibility of completing the remaining work within the next three months, they posed whether the contractor is deliberately delaying the implementation, so as to pursue for Revision of the Project Report.
The statement was appended by Chairman, Lotha Hoho, Er Mhondamo Ovung and General Secretary Tsupon Murry; Convener, Joint Action Committee, NH 2/61, Chiben P Kikon; President Lotha Students’ Union Lirhonthung Kithan; President, Lotha Eloe Hoho, Thungbeni Ngullie; President, Lotha Youth Hoho, Limhathung Yanthan; Chairman, Wokha Town Colonies Union, Er Sanchio Kithan; and President, WD Village Council Chairmen Association & Chairman, Wokha Village Council, Vandan Erui.
