Wokha, August 5 (MExN): The Lotha Hoho has termed the NHIDCL’s list of 29 hindrances towards completion of the Wokha-Merapani Highway as “laughable” wondering if the NHIDCL and Indian Technocrats Ltd. are “so hopelessly inexperienced and incompetent” for not being able to deal with the problems.
A press release from Lotha Hoho on August 4 from its Chairperson, Mhao Humtsoe, and General Secretary, Er. Mhondamo Ovung, stated that it is “surprised to have received a list of so called hindrances to the road works, listed by the NHIDCL and the Indian Technocrats Ltd (ITL), such as PHE pipes, retaining wall, house, market, pineapple garden, agriculture land, boundary wall, sufari garden, plantation.”
The list was submitted jointly by NHIDCL and ITL to the Deputy Commissioner, Wokha, on July 18 last.
“Any development work is done within human habitations and all these so called hindrances are actually usual items that are encountered in even a small stretch of Maintenance work; and as such even a non technical reader will find these so called hindrances as laughable,” stated the Lotha Hoho.
According to the Hoho, “these are not hindrances but only lame excuses.” It maintained that the 29 items on the list “may not occupy even one kilometer” but the road project total length is 65.585 km, that is from Wokha to Merapani, so “why not do the widening work in the remaining more than 64 km of free stretch of road work?”
If the NHIDCL is unable to handle the work, the Lotha Hoho advised it and contractor M/S CS Infraconstruction Ltd to “pack up, leave the road project and go away so that the project work can be awarded to a more competent contractor through a more efficient agency, by retendering.”
Lifeline
Being the “lifeline of the district,” the Lotha community wants the road to be completed as early as possible and to this effect “No Objection Certificates by concerned land owner Village Authorities have already been submitted in September 2016,” maintained the Hoho.
Hence the NHIDCL and the contractor, it stated, should “start the work and call the Lotha organizations, to work site, wherever and whenever any difficulty is encountered.”
Moreover, the Lotha Hoho claimed to be “observed” that contractor, “CS Infraconstruction Ltd and the NHIDCL, instead of executing the required project work, go to the owner of the so called hindrances and indirectly threaten the owner that in the event the road widening works are taken up, the house/ shop/garden would be demolished. The owner is made to write a Claim for compensation or else the roadwork will be done without compensation.”
The Hoho stated that this is being done without the knowledge of Lotha organizations, and “If the NHIDCL and contractor have obtained written Claims from owners of so called hindrances, these must have been done with coercion and to serve their vested interest of extracting maximum profit with minimum work.”
The apex organization of the Lothas stated that they are “fully” aware that “there is no provision for damage compensation,” and “the Lotha organizations are there to settle the issue without compensation.”
The Lotha Hoho alleged that the “NHIDCL and the contractor are playing hide and seek so that payment may be given without actually implementing the work.”
The Lotha organisations remained “convinced” that the ongoing road work is “likely to be another failure.” According to their hypothesis, either the NHIDCL is incompetent or else it is “not there for quality work, but keeping the Nodal department PWD & MoRTH manpower idle” by being the “extra cook” who “spoils the curry.”
Finally, “For the last one year, since the 21st November 2017, when the LH visited the office of the NHIDCL, at Sivasagar, the NHIDCL and the contractor, M/S CS Infraconstruction Ltd have executed numerous MoUs and have given Assurances time and again; but they do not hounour their commitments.” If the work is not possible, the Lotha Hoho asked the agencies to leave so the project can be given to someone else after retendering.
