By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Though Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma is planning to present a Christmas gift to the people of the State in the form of Shillong Bypass, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the executing agency, is, however, appears to be pessimistic in meeting December deadline saying “a lot of work is yet to be done to complete the project.”
An NHAI official on Wednesday said, “It will be difficult to complete the project before December as lot of work is to be done besides the last portion of the road is yet to be completed.”
It is learnt that the NHAI has already drawn up a plan to complete the project in March-April next year.
Dr Sangma recently announced that the Shillong Bypass would be inaugurated before Christmas.
An official of the M/S GR -Chetak (JV), which is executing the project said, “It is impossible to complete the project in December but we will try our best to finish it within December and we would go all out to complete at least the portions attached to the national highway.”
Reacting to a query, the official from the firm informed that the project has so far achieved a physical progress of 85 per cent. The State government’s proposed move to inaugurate the much-awaited Shillong Bypass in December has hit another hurdle with the KSU asking the Chief Minister to compensate the farmers before inauguration.
The KSU also fixed November 30 as deadline for the Government to pay the compensation failing which the Union has threatened to agitate.
The official of the company also reputed the allegation of dumping soil in the agriculture land.
On the other hand, the NHAI official said compensation would be paid at the earliest.