‘Government looking to mobilise funds from State Plan, others to resume work’
SHILLONG: Yet another housing project of the State Government is facing a delay in completion with the concerned authorities now trying hard to mobilize funds to get the work back on track.
The housing project for the urban poor at Umbuda village in Ri-Bhoi district was supposed to be completed by 2012 but abandonment by the implementing company meant that the task is still far from complete.
To make things worse, the village authorities have now issued a month’s deadline to the State Government to get the project back on track failing which the local Dorbar Shnong will revoke its grant of the land for the work and allot the already constructed houses to poor families of the hamlet.
An official of the Urban Affairs department informed that the project was taken up in 2007 and the implementing company Hindustan Prefab Limited abandoned the work in 2013 citing cost escalation and other problems.
The official also informed that the sudden stoppage of JNNURM by the Centre was also another reason which delayed the project.
However, the official said that the department is looking for funds either from the State Plan or any other source to set the project rolling once again.
According to the official, the target is to construct 128 dwelling units and around 90 per cent of the work has been completed in around 80-90 dwelling units while 60-70 per cent work has been done in the remaining ones. It is learnt that initially, an amount of Rs 7.8 crore was sanctioned for the project in 2007 and the work was scheduled to be completed by 2012.
It may be mentioned that another housing project being implemented by the Urban Affairs department at Nongmynsong here is also
running way behind schedule.
It was the same Hindustan Prefab Limited which was earlier assigned the work for implementing the Nongmynsong project. Later, the State government terminated HPL’s contract and Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) was given the task of completing the construction of the abandoned housing project under JNNURM.