DIMAPUR, JANUARY 15 (MExN): The Phom Students’ Conference (PSC) has served a fifteen (15) day ultimatum to the Nagaland Public Works Department (NPWD) and M/s Chabou & Co to commence the construction of the Longleng-Ladigarh NEC (group ‘c’) road.
A press statement received from PSC on Friday said since the day the work order for the construction of the road was issued, the contractor has failed to implement the same.
Irked with the negligence and indifferent attitude of the implementing agencies, the Phom Students’ Conference said it had been voicing its concern since 2011. The office of the Chief Engineer NPWD (R&B) had issued “an assurance letter vide. CE(R&B)/TR/MISC/200-11/196 indicating that the department shall “blacklist if the concerned contractor fail to complete the construction as per the work order.”
With the contractor failing to complete the construction of the road within the stipulated time frame, the PSC had resorted to agitation demanding for blacklisting of the contractor in October, 2011.
Eventually the agitation was called off after the NPWD assured PSC at a consultative meeting on October 27, 2011 that the work would be completed within March 31, 2013 or the department would blacklist the contractor if work was not completed within the time frame or the work was found unsatisfactory.
Present during the meeting was Er R Temsu Aier, Superintendent Engineer, Kohima, Er V Kihei, Additional Chief Engineer, Kohima, Akheto Sema EE Longleng with K Libanthung Lotha the then DC Longleng as the witness, the press statement reminded.
At the meeting, the department further assured that maintenance of the road for 6 (six) months after its completion would be strictly implemented. The department also assured that it will not release the final bill until and unless the contractor completes the work. However, PSC lamented that the department had never implemented the assurances made, and added that it had also served four reminder letters in the month of March, September and November, 2013.
Despite repeated plea for fully implementation of the resolution, the construction of the Longleng-Ladigarh NEC road on group ‘c’ has been abandoned by the concerned contractor and the progress of work on the whole stretch of road is nil, it stated.
In this connection, the PSC has issued a 15 day ultimatum to the NPWD(R&B) for commencement of the construction of Longleng-Ladigarh NEC (group ‘c’) road maintaining all necessary norms and procedures on or before January 30, 2016.
