SHILLONG, Sep 23: The deadline of all five packages of the Shillong-Dawki road project will expire in three months from now but the work is far from over.
There seems to be no urgency to complete the project either. The project has been in the news for the past 7-8 years. The work was awarded to contractors in 2020 after the government took its sweet time to prepare the DPR.
In package 1, which is a crucial section between Rilbong and Upper Shillong, no sooner had the construction begun than the contractor abandoned the project. Months have rolled by since but the fate of this section remains unknown. It is unclear whether the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) appointed another contractor to continue the work.
The status report of the NHIDCL says the available right of way in package 1 is mere 28.62%. In package 2, it is 85.66% followed by 84.29% and 63.27% in package 4 and package 5 respectively. The cumulative physical progress is not even 31%.
In package 1, the physical progress is only 6.66%. The only package to have made some progress is package 2 where the physical progress is 30.46%.
The other two packages have a physical progress of 19.20% and 14%. Given the speed at which the work is going on, the project is likely to miss the deadline which will ultimately lead to time and cost overrun.
The mega venture includes a four-lane road from Umshyrpi to Mylliem and a two-lane road thereafter connecting Dawki and Tamabil.
Apart from providing better connectivity to Dawki, the road is expected to be beneficial for trade and commerce with neighboring Bangladesh.
