SHILLONG: The State Government has completed the land assessment process under section 11 of the Land Acquisition Act for the much delayed Shillong-Dawki road project.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong informed that under section 11, the government will now assess the land which needs to be acquired for the project and the respective Deputy Commissioners are on the job.
According to Tynsong, the entire process of assessing the land under section 19 may take around two months as this exercise is important.
“We will leave no stone turned to see that there is no dispute over the land as we have seen that when the payment is released to beneficiaries some refuse to take the money as they feel it is is less besides there are also instances of land dispute,” he said.
The deputy CM has asked the DCs to be careful and very thorough in their exercise.
When asked about the reports that Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) may withdraw the project owing to the delay in land acquisition, he clarified that the target was to complete section 11 of the Land Acquisition Act within May and they have completed the stage and so now the question of withdrawal of the project does not arise.
) “Sometimes one land is claimed by two/three people and we have entrusted the DCs to see that only genuine owners get the money,” he said while adding that there are plans to have by-pass on the road in some places but people are against it. The 95-km project is to be taken up at a cost of Rs 1,431 crore.
Once the road condition improves, it would also be beneficial for Guwahati-Shillong-Dhaka bus service.
It is learnt that the project proposes to build a four-lane road from Umshyrpi to Mylliem and from there a two-lane road to Dawki-Tamabil and the road would also be beneficial from the perspective of trade and commerce with the neighbouring country.
