Umiam-Jorabat Expressway project
SHILLONG: While the State Government has, time and again, reiterated its commitment to completing the ambitious Jorabat-Umiam Expressway project at the earliest, the national Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has slammed the Meghalaya Government for adopting a dilly dally tactic on the issue of land acquisition which has led to delay in execution of the project that has already missed its official deadline by eight months.
An NHAI official on Sunday informed that 66.8 hectares of land including the land for the Umsning Bypass was not being handed over to them and further blamed the Government for not doing enough to hand over the land due to which the project was being unnecessary delayed.
The official mentioned that around 76 per cent of the work has been completed in over three years since the construction first began while the remaining work was being delayed due to the inefficiency of the State Government in handing over the land.
Incidentally, PWD Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar, who was contacted for his comments on the issue, only reiterated that the Government was committed to completing the project at an early date.
He, however, mentioned that he has asked the PWD Secretary to submit a detailed report on the reasons behind the delay in execution of the project.
The Minister also informed that he was planning to conduct an inspection of the road shortly.
Meanwhile, sources on request of anonymity claimed that miscreants often create problems for the implementing agencies by forcibly taking away stone chips and cement without paying any money for the same.
The Expressway project took off at a brisk pace in 2010 but slowed down after controversy erupted over the alignment of the Umsning Bypass.
The 62-km four-lane project has been taken up by the NHAI as the implementing agency which is executing the work through M/s Ramky Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. and M/s NKC Pvt. Ltd. at a tender cost of Rs.536 crore.
The four-laning between Jorabat-Umiam Section of NH-40 has been accorded on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis in BOT (Annuity) mode of delivery under Special Accelerated Road Development Programme-North East (SARDP-NE Phase ‘A’).
Approval of actual variation to the cost of land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement and other pre-construction activities were granted.
The concession period is 20 years including construction period of three years.