Morung Express News
Dimapur| June 19
Delay in the construction of the city shopping mall plus parking area in Dimapur’s New Market has left the place a mess. Since work began in the early part of 2009, businessmen in New Market and the public have been distressed by the slow-paced work. And with incessant rainfall for the past few weeks, New Market is in deluge, adding to people’s woes.
The New Market shopping mall plus parking area was implemented by the state Urban Development department with 10 other projects, under 10 % lumpsum provisions for north east states during 2004-09, by the Government of India. The contract work was awarded to a private construction company. The Centre sanctioned Rs.22.32 crore on March 2008 for the construction of city shopping mall plus parking area, and Rs. 6.69 crore released by the government on March 2008. However, the work order was issued only seven months after the release of funds due to delay in conducting soil testing and foundation investigation. The stipulated timeframe set for completion of work was 24 months.
Last year, the intergraded audit report of the Comptroller and Auditor General revealed that most of the works undertaken by the Department of Urban Development under the 10% lumpsum provision remain incomplete. Analysis of the test checked by the report revealed that the New Market shopping mall cum parking area it is one of the works which had not been completed in stipulated time. The report revealed that the department did not adhere to codal provisions pertaining to time frame for execution of work sanctioned, which diluted the accountability mechanism and contribute to overall delay in work projects including the New Market project.
Now with onset of monsoon, work has stopped in New Market. It is not known when work will resume. Though the actual handover date is set for October 2010, not even the foundation work is complete. The delay has irked businessmen whose businesses are suffering badly. The construction has been causing immense problems to citizens of Dimapur as well. There is no parking space and simultaneous construction of marketing complex inside the market has added to the problem.
The pathetic condition of New Market appears to be closing on the Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio’s vision of creating Dimapur into the satellite city of Nagaland. And unless the concerned department and the construction company take into account people’s woes and speed up work, patience seems to be running out.
