Sets April 30 deadline for CS Infraconstruction Ltd, NHIDCL for course correction
Dimapur, April 15 (MExN): The Lotha Hoho (LH) today alleged that the contractor for Wokha-Merapani Highway upgradation to two-lane project was not following the technical specifications in the execution of the contract work and set April 30 as deadline for course correction.
The Hoho said in a statement that the ultimatum was served after observing and confirming for the last six months by Lotha organizations that the Lucknow based M/S CS Infraconstruction Limited, the contractor for the works was not following the technical specifications in the execution of the contract work.
The non compliance was observed since the work activities started sometime in October 2017, said the statement released by LH Chairman Mhao Humtsoe and General Secretary Er. Mhondamo Ovung.
Consequently, the Lotha organisations led by the Monitoring and Vigilance Committee of the Hoho, in a meeting at Wokha on April 12 resolved that unless the contractor “complies with the specifications and the widening earthwork is started latest by the April 30, the organisations will not allow the contractor to proceed further.”
Stating that the highway is an important road for the district for transportation of most of the essential commodities, the LH informed that it earlier visited the DGM, NHIDCL at Sivasagar on November 21, 2017 requesting for compliance to specifications to which the latter had “agreed in written and have supplied the Detailed Project Report (DPR) documents to the Hoho.”
Several meetings were also convened with the project- in- charge and personnel of the contractor and many Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) have been executed by the agents of the contractor at Wokha, Bhandari, at worksite etc, the statement informed.
The Hoho had also written to the NHIDCL several times and to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on February 9 asking the Ministry not to release any Running Bill without site inspection. The Hoho had also issued several press statements highlighting the progress of the ongoing work, it added.
The LH, on December 22, 2017 had also written to the GM, NHIDCL, requesting for a meeting, on December 18, 2017 in Wokha. He initially agreed but later informed about his inability to attend due to another engagement.
In another meeting convened by LH on January 30, 2018, the NHIDCL and contractor failed to turn up but one person claiming to be “Site in charge, of contractor,” attended the meeting, the statement said. When asked for documents for his authorization, from the contractor, he failed to produce any document to authenticate his identity, it added.
In this connection, the LH said that despite “all sincere efforts of the beneficiary community organisations, the contractor has, till date, not started the widening work; but instead have constructed culverts and started collecting stone chips; probably for carpeting.”
In this regard, it wondered how the contractor is going to do the widening after constructing culverts and other second and third stage work items.
As per the specifications, the total road width is 34 feet for plain section and 29 feet for hilly terrain, including the paved shoulders on the two sides of the runway and side drain of 2 feet width.
“The existing road width is a narrow district road of hardly 18 feet total width and hence the need for widening for upgradation to two-lane, the Hoho maintained in the statement.
Consequently, after the April 12 meeting, the Lotha organizations through its Apex Tribal Hoho, served the ultimatum to the contractor M/S CS Infraconstruction Ltd do comply with the necessary specifications by April 30.
In the ultimatum, the organizations asked the contractor to start all widening works for the three packages: package 1, package 2 and package 3.
It further asked all personnel/staff of M/S CS Infraconstruction Ltd, engaged in the Wokha- Merapani Highway project to produce their Appointment Orders along with Identity Card to the Monitoring & Vigilance Committee of the Lotha Hoho. “All other works, except widening earthwork, to be stopped till completion of the widening work,” the ultimatum added.
The Hoho said that it will undertake its “own course of action” if the contractor fail to comply with the ultimatum within April 30.
