Demands that NHIDCL intervene by June 15
DIMAPUR, JUNE 6 (MExN): The Lotha Hoho today served an ultimatum to the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) to ensure that contractors adhere to specifications in road works.
A press note from the Lotha Hoho informed that it along with several other organizations had on May 31 inspected the upgradation works of the highway along the entire stretch from Merapani to Wokha.
According to the LH, it found that the contractor, M/S CS Infraconstruction Ltd is not executing the project work as per specifications.
“No widening is done; but instead the contractor is burying the hume pipes as culverts across the existing runway and is collecting materials for surfacing,” the LH informed.
Quoting the Detailed Project Report (DPR), the LH stated that the upgradation and augmentation should include widening and strengthening of the project highway and the carriage way shall be of two lane (7 meters wide) in plain terrain and 5.5.meters in hilly terrain.
It also reminded that during the consultative meeting chaired by the Deputy Commissioner, Wokha, Dr Manazir Jeelani Samoon, on April 23, SK Singh, the Project Manager for CS Infraconstruction Ltd, was present, and the GM, NHIDCL had assured to detail 4-5 persons to oversee the road construction activities. It was also assured that there would be no compromise on the quality of the work.
The GM had also assured that a Co ordination Committee would be set up under the supervision of the district administration for smooth execution of the road construction and that if the contractor does not implement the project work as per specifications, no bill would be released to the contractor and the work order would be cancelled.
The LH also reminded that representatives of the contractor had executed two MOUs dated January 3, 2018 and January 15, 2018 for adhering to specifications and to first do the widening earthwork.
It meanwhile made clear that “there is no land related issue” and that No Objection Certificates (NOC) from the concerned land owners had been submitted earlier in September 2016.
The LH stated that “after observing for more than a month, the contractor does not seem to pay any heed to the direction; but instead continues to execute the works in defiance of the technical requirements.”
The Road project having been funded by the NEC, the LH informed it has dispatched several letters to the NEC in Shillong but so far there has been no response. It claimed that there has been no response either through phone calls or email. It further informed that the cell phone number listed on the NEC website belonged to a retired Assam Police Sub Inspector, who was unaware that his number was listed on the site.
“It is utterly ridiculous for a highly responsible entity such as the NEC to be so unreliable and non responsive,” the LH stated, while asking the Nagaland State Government to take up the matter with the NEC immediately.
It meanwhile informed that the LH has also written to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway regarding the matter.
Given the circumstances, the LH asked the NIHDCL to intervene latest by June 15, failing which it cautioned that “Lotha organisations will be compelled to take their own course of action.”
