Problems in re-aligning four laning at Umsning: NHAI
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The four-laning of the Umiam-Jorabat road has hit a major stumbling block with NHAI hinting that the State may lose out on the project due to the new proposal for re-aligning the four laning at Umsning instead of the earlier Bypass proposal.
An NHAI official involved in the project told this scribe that the NHAI had earlier done the alignment work from the Umsning Bypass and it would be quite difficult to again re-align the road from the existing Umsning road.
“We cannot change the alignment as earlier the DPR was made for Umsning Bypass. It seems that the people of Meghalaya will lose the benefit of having a four-lane road,” the NHAI official added.
The State Government has decided to go ahead with the proposal for four-laning the existing road at Umsning as per a decision taken by the Assembly in the last Budget session.
This decision was opposed by several NGOs of Ri-Bhoi district who reiterated their demand for constructing the four-lane road through the proposed Umsning Bypass.
It is learnt that the NHAI had conducted the survey of the proposed Umsning Bypass in 2003 but when the administration was finalising payment of land compensation to the various land owners along the Umsning Bypass, there were oppositions by certain groups.
“The Chief Minister and the State Government should think about the benefit of lakhs of people of the State and not a certain group only,” the NHAI official said, while hinting that the work for the project now may be delayed as the land for the Umsning bypass has not yet been handed over to the NHAI.
According to NHAI, the Government should take a bold decision in the larger interest of the people of the State rather than satisfying the NGOs.
“We want the land for Umsning bypass and if we get the land early the project will be completed before its deadline,” the NHAI official said.
The construction work of the four-laning is presently going very slow due to the prevailing monsoon and it is expected that the work will begin in full swing once the rainy season is over.