SHILLONG: Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong has maintained that the PWD Departmental Tender Committee has conformed to all protocols while recommending bidders for the 11.52-km Laitkor-Pomlakrai-Laitlyngkot Road and 28-km Pasyih-Garampani Road after allegations of discrepancy in allocation of work surfaced recently.
Reacting to the reports, Tynsong, who is also in charge of PWD (Roads), said, “Everything was as per prescribed norms”.
The Committee had allegedly disregarded all requirements and bent several rules and formalities in an attempt to allocate the Laitkor-Pomlakrai-Laitlyngkot Road to Dhar Construction Company, due to alleged pressure from the authorities, as per a document.
It was also alleged that there was discrepancy in the allocating of upgradation work of the Pasyih-Garampani Road costing Rs 66 crore by the PWD Tender Committee.
As per the document, two bidders — Borin Shadap JV Thomas Nongtdu and Rocky Dhar JV Dhar Construction Company — participated for the bid and the Committee scrutinised their relevant papers and technical evaluation.
According to the recommendations of the technical committee, as per available records with the department, JV Partner Borin Shadap was allotted PMGSY work for the construction of MBT from Pynsurla to Nongjri (29 kilometer) road.
The Committee, however, found that “till date, the physical progress of the work is only about 19 per cent, which is extremely slow and unsatisfactory. Moreover, a statement from the Executive Engineer of PWD (Roads), Shillong South Division, said that the progress of the road as on August 31, 2020, is 50 per cent.
Meanwhile, the deputy chief minister also said that the government had a meeting with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on the poor road condition of the Shillong-Jowai-Ratacherra highway. “The officials of the PWD also held an inspection of the road last week,” Tynsong said, adding that the repairing has halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
