Manipur CM Biren Singh inaugurating the Irang Bailey bridge which was constructed by the Indian Army, on December 2. (NNN Photo)
Newmai News Network
Imphal | December 2
Manipur Chief Minister Chief Minister N Biren Singh today laid the foundation stone for the long awaited four-lane Irang RCC Bridge on Wednesday apart from inaugurating the Irang Bailey bridge constructed by the Indian Army at Toubam village in Noney district.
Irang RCC Bridge will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 49.31 crore by NHIDCL while the Bailey bridge was assembled by the 52nd Engineering Regiment of the Indian Army in co-ordination with NHIDCL and the State Government.
The Manipur Chief Minister expressed graditude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari for giving approval to construction of the four-lane Irang RCC bridge. He also appealed to the people to extend support during the construction of the bridge and voice out if there are any grievances or problems.
Singh, meanwhile, said that earlier the State mainly relied on NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur road) for shipping in of essential items as NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam road) was not in a good shape.
However, NH-37 has also improved a lot in the past few years thereby truly serving as the second lifeline of the State, he added.
Regarding the unfortunate collapse of Irang Bailey Bridge on the highway on November 1 this year, Biren Singh informed that the State Government worked day and night, finding ways to restore it as soon as possible. The State Government worked in co-ordination with 57 Mountain of the Indian Army led by Col Shashikumar and NHIDCL to reconstruct the bridge as soon as possible.
He said that during the reconstruction process, the bridge slipped down again. However, owing to the tireless efforts of the 52nd Engineer Regiment of the Indian Army and NHIDCL, the bridge was successfully reinstalled within a short span of only one month, he added.
Lauding the efforts of the Indian Army in this regard, the Chief Minister announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh with commendation certificate to the 52nd Engineering Regiment for the good work done for the people of Manipur. He also assured to personally write to the Union Ministry of Defence to appreciate the Regiment.
The Chief Minister stated that he had also requested the NHIDCL to complete Makru and Barak RCC bridges by mid-January next year and Irang bridge by December next year. Once these three RCC bridges are completed, there would not be any further problem of bridge collapse, he said while adding that the economic condition of the people residing on the highway would also automatically improve.
He also assured that grievances brought up by the villagers regarding land compensation will be looked into and redressed soon, while adding that the government is giving prime focus to revamp the NH-37.
He also highlighted other development activities in the state and said that the Government will start convening Cabinet Meetings in different hill districts soon, and development works would be reviewed in these meetings. He also requested the people to air their grievances in advance before Cabinet meetings are held in their district headquarters.
In his speech, Awangbow Newmai urged the public not to disturb the national projects in their pursuit to fulfill a demand. The minister also urged the public to extend cooperation in taking up developmental works.
