NCSU affirms ‘One Firm One Work’ for PMGSY Phase-III projects in Nagaland

Our Correspondent
Kohima | October 5

The Nagaland Contractors’ & Suppliers’ Union (NCSU) on Thursday informed that it had appealed to the Gauhati High Court pertaining to Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) on PMGSY-III Batch -1 2023-2024 under PWD (Road & Bridges) and seeking to allot work order on “One Firm/One Work” basis against phase-III of PMGSY projects in Nagaland.

Communicating this during press conference here today at Hotel Japfü, NCSU President, Pele Khezhie said that NCSU numbering over 5000 members will continue to fight for their rights till justice is deliver. The NCSU made an appeal before the Gauhati High Court and is awaiting reply from the concerned authority within 15 days, it informed. NCSU officials stated that if their plea is not honoured, they will resort to their own course of action.

The NCSU recalled that it had submitted representation Union Minister, Ministry of Rural Development, GoI on September 23, 2023, asking to allot work orders on ‘one firm one work’ basis during phase III of the PMGSY projects in Nagaland. NCSU stated that the registered contractors of Nagaland deeply honor the Ministry of Rural Development for implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) for upliftment in the country since 2000-2001.

“However, it is setback to see that the adamant of State Government of Nagaland, particularly (NPWD) Road & Bridges on behalf of the Rural Development Department, floated (NIT) 40 projects clustered into 16 packages only, as most of the districts have been clustered together with another district, which is practically not possible by any super contractors to complete work as per schedule, rather it will be a total failure,” NCSU stated in its representation.

It stated that in the past over the years (NIT) were invited as per project wise similarly in the year 2017 there was 19 packages in various District, accordingly 19 firm were awarded work order as per merit of bidding and in the year 2019, 13 packages accordingly awarded 13 work order as per bidding. NCSU stated that it found “so many anomalies in the (NIT) PMGSY-III batch-I 2023-2024 NO NGRRDA P-III/Tender/2023-2024 Kohima dated the 25th August 2023.”

NCSU noted that the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency has issued detailed guidelines for construction of minimum 15% of road length by using new technologies under PMGSY.

States and Union Territories would mandatorily construct roads under PMGSY-III by also using plastics waste within the minimum 15% of road length prescribed for new technologies as envisaged in the detailed guidelines issued by NRIDA. And works will be packaged so as to attract competent contractors with modern machinery and equipment and capable of nurturing small contractors.

Meanwhile, it informed that the NPWD (R&B) invited (NIT) PMGSY-III batch-1 2023-2024 on August 25, 2023 undermining the union’s representation. NCSU wrote another representation to the Chief Engineer (R&B) PWD, Government of Nagaland on September 6, 2023, to keep abeyance of (NIT) PMGSY-III Batch-I 2023-2024, till rectification of anomalies are done. “However, there was no response from the good office of Chief Engineer PWD (R&B),” NCSU stated.

“That our demand is to break up as District wise, project wise and that should be segregated, as most of the District has been cluster with another District which is practically not feasible. Moreover, in the past we had experienced that even one project one firm also difficult to complete work in time then how can one firm 4-5 project at the time to complete the project, it will be a total failure this popular PMGSY programme,” it stated.

Earlier, the NCSU wrote to Chief Minister of Nagaland on July 21, 2023, requesting him to re-examine the proposed use of Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) method on PMGSY-III project in Nagaland. It highlighted the practical difficulties with the use of FDR method in PMGSY-III projects in Nagaland.

For the first time in India, Uttar Pradesh state constructed roads by upgrading old roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) with FDR method. This method is primarily meant for reclamation of old and deteriorated bituminous pavement requiring several machineries such as cement tanker, additive spreader, water tanker, recycler machine, motor grader, rollers, etc. and all of them are employed simultaneously. This will be practically difficult to be executed at single lane roads in hilly terrain with limited roads width (excepting plain areas of the state) and it is not economically viable considering the present economic status of our PWD contractors. Recycler machine is also not readily available in our state, the NCSU stated.