The 70 km long highway between Lad Umroi to Jorabat which is presently under construction had given much hope to commuters between Shillong and Guwahati that they would sooner than later be able to traverse smoothly and in lesser time and with fewer problems than they are facing today. But news that the Hyderabad based Ramky Infrastructure which was contracted to carry out the construction work has now suddenly stopped working is a cause for concern. Ramky itself sub-contracted part of the work to Yadav Financing Company (YFC) but it is learnt that the latter has yet to be paid a substantial amount by Ramky. There were some major accidents as a result of blasting and earth cutting and Ramky had been asked to pay a heavy compensation. But the Company would have been insured against such eventualities. Hence the alibi that the Company pulled out because to continue with the project would have become unviable does not stand scrutiny. The work on this strategic highway has now completely slowed down. The recent unseasonal rains have only made matters worse. Huge tracts of the road which are half done have now caved in and large crater sixed holes have been caused by heavily loaded coal trucks. This has made travel along the highway a dangerous proposition. These days it is common to see trucks breaking down in the middle of the highway and causing massive traffic jams. It looks like this malaise will continue throughout the monsoons (until October) because road carpeting during the rains might not be a good idea, we are told.
In the meanwhile the greatest problem is faced by commuters on this highway, many of whom are trying to catch train or flight from Guwahati. And from what is seen by many travellers on this highway, trucks do not believe in giving smaller vehicles the right of way. Meghalaya’s biggest problem is the absence of an airport and a railway head. The Umroi airport has been suffering from the problem of indecision and is tied up in bureaucracy. The excuse that land acquisition or refuelling or any other reasons given by those in the Transport Department only reflect how long-winded decision making in the state is, no matter who is at the helm of affairs. Dr Mukul Sangma had over two years to remove the roadblocks but failed to make any headway. People are the worst sufferers and many who are invited to Shillong for various conferences etc., dread this 130 km road journey between Shillong to Guwahati airport.
It is never a good idea for any work to be abandoned half way unless the Company has failed to deliver and is being penalised for the same. Ramky had done some of the major earth-cutting work and had familiarised itself with the Meghalaya terrain. Would it be easy for the next construction company to step in a take on what is a half-done job? We are told that Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) had actually sub-contracted the work to Ramky. What has happened to make this major road construction company fold up its tent halfway? We need answers from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and from IL&FS as to why this 70 km stretch should take over three years to complete.