RONGJENG, Oct 22: Development in all parts of the world has always been linked to the presence of a vibrant infrastructure that allows for free movement and trade. Going by the same dictum, residents of the now infamous Adokgre-Mangsang-Rongjeng road may have just been sent a decade back after their perfectly pliable road has been dismantled to make way for a new one, only for funding to be pulled off, leaving them without a usable road.
The 44-km stretch of the road has been the lifeline for the entire population and affects at least 50,000 people from the two constituencies of Kharkutta and Rongjeng. While 22 kilometres of the same road from Rongjeng to a little beyond Nengkram is still usable, the rest of it has been rendered unusable for at least 4-6 months in a year.
Infuriated residents who have been affected by the poor road situation have threatened to go the no-road-no-vote way in the wake of their pleas seeking intervention falling on deaf ears of the government.
“We met Chief Minister Conrad Sangma in 2019 and he assured us that the matter would be resolved and we had nothing to worry about. We gave them enough time to resolve the situation but nothing moved. We again sent a reminder to what we are facing on a daily basis but nothing has changed,” informed president of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) on the road, Sebiush Marak.
The road was sanctioned under the previous Mukul Sangma-led government in 2017 for an amount of Rs 210 crore.
Initially funded under Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) scheme and North Eastern Council (NEC), the contract for the project was given to two companies, viz. CCL and BSC Infratech.
However, for unknown reasons, NEC withdrew from the project, taking along the Rs 88 crore it had earmarked for the project.
The NEC quitting midway reduced the project to an amount of just over Rs 123 crore. However, till the time of withdrawal of NEC, almost the entire road had already been dismantled to develop the new one.
“When the project was announced, we were overjoyed as the road would finally get an overhaul. While it was pliable, it was still not world-class. We hoped things would change for the better for our lot but after five years, all we have had is a world of promises and nothing being kept,” said social activist Bamba Sangma from Mangsang.
The area is one of the most scenic parts of the state and the road creation could have helped it grow into a tourism destination. It is completely agrarian with areca nut, rubber, broomsticks production being the main sources of income. It also borders the district of West Khasi Hills.
A visit to the road lent weight to the frustration of the locals. Important bridges through the road, as per the Public Works Department (PWD) EGH, have been scrapped.
This has led to a situation where the rains dictate whether one can use the road or not.
“During the monsoons, it is impossible to cross many parts of the road. Not only has parts of the road become sections of a mudslide but at least three important bridges have not even been touched. Two of the main bridges on the Ildek River have not started yet and during monsoons the river is impossible to cross using vehicles. So how are we expected to commute to and fro? What is even more damning is that many children have to use these roads to get to school. How are they supposed to do so? Missing education is the only option,” added Bamba.
As per locals, there are at least 100 villages along the route and many in the 22-km impassable stretch are subjected to nightmarish everyday commutes.
“Even in the dry weather only 4WD vehicles can ply. The monsoon makes life come to a full stop. This was never the case with our old road. The dream of a new road has become a nightmare,” stated a resident of Nengkram.
The two bridges across the Ildek River would have cost Rs 22 crore but provided a much-needed fillip to the local economy. Access to market would have been easier and local produce could have brought riches to the farming community.
“We have made numerous complaints and even filed RTIs to find out the situation. The road was supposed to have been completed in a span of two years. Now it is over five years and there are no signs that the road will ever get completed. If this continues, the only thing we can do is haul the state government to court or making life a living hell,” said Seltuish.
Agitations and meetings on the action that needs to be taken have become the norm for residents of the area whose desperation can be understood.
It was one such agitation that led to the PWD EGH pressuring the contractor to complete the first 22 kms of the road. They, as per PWD officials, need to finish the work by December this year. However, going by the rate at which work is progressing, it is highly unlikely that this will come to pass.
When contacted on the delay in road construction, the CCL firstly blamed the COVID-19 situation, though the project commenced two years prior to the pandemic’s maiden appearance.
However when the work did start, the department, as per the contractors, ran out of finances.
An RTI application, however, showed that an amount of Rs 88 crore from the project cost has already been paid to the contractors. Both BSC and CCL have been paid about Rs 44 crore each. Given that the project now is only worth Rs 123 crore, this amounts close to 70 per cent of the total cost.
“They are skipping most of the strategic bridges as the department claims that money has run out for the project. This is definitely going to affect the road in the future as well. For now, the present looks bleak as does the future for us,” said Mangsang resident, John Marak.
Information from the PWD department too has not been too encouraging.
As per the SDO of Rongjeng, the fund crunch after the pull-out of the NEC is yet to be acted upon which means that the 22 km of the 44-km road will not be worked on until the state government coughs up more money.
Given the current financial situation of Meghalaya, fresh funding, especially from the state government, seems highly unlikely.
Further, the SDO also informed that the fund crunch could mean that the two-lane road will have to be narrowed down to a single lane in the last 22 kilometres and that too only if funding is provided through PWD sources.
As per reports, attempts to procure funding for the last 22 kilometres from other central agencies have also drawn a blank.
The question that remains now is whether the state can actually abandon thousands of residents after destroying a pliable road without ensuring connectivity for them.
“We are all angry and when the MLA or representatives of the government come, we will question them on this. Do they have answers to the pitiable situation we have been put into? We have decided that they need to work for our votes. If they want our vote, give us our road or we will choose someone who will keep this promise,” asserted activist Bamba Sangma.