Resubelpara, Jan 5: Residents of Ildek Akong, one of the remotest parts of the district of North Garo Hills (NGH) have raised questions on the quality of the ongoing road construction between Adokgre and Ildek Akong, after they were able to dig up a section of the just completed stretch with their bare hands. Subsequently videos of the act have gone viral on social media with many calling for an inquiry into the matter.
However, the company contracted with the project has clarified on the issue stating that the layer may not have settled completely allowing it to be dug up.
As per locals, the company in question had completed a section at the 11th km of the road on Saturday, Dec 31 last year and they were worried with the quality after allowing three days for the road to be set. They were, however, amazed that they could dig up the completed section using nothing but their bare hands.
The Ildek Akong – Adokgre road is being constructed under the sanction of the World Bank. It is a part of the Meghalaya Integrated Transport Program (MITP) and comes with a price tag of just around Rs 33 crores for 11 kms of road.
The road was earlier part of the Adokgre – Mangsang – Rongjeng road that was given to various contractors for completion in the year 2017 for an amount of Rs 230 crores. However the road went into developmental hell after one of the agencies funding the project withdrew leaving everyone in shock.
While the Rongjeng to Mangsang road is currently still in development, the new contractors for the Adokgre – Ildek Akong route is near completion despite being sanctioned only in Dec 2020. The contractors have been provided 42 months to complete the project though the company has officially stated that only about 2.5 kms of the road remains to be completed.
“We are surprised at what happened and informed the company officials on the matter. This road project has been a dream of ours as we have been neglected through decades. This road will provide a lifeline to all those around us and we don’t want to compromise quality or let them cut corners. If other sections have been done well, so should this one be as well,” said a local during the visit yesterday, Jan 4.
The villagers further added that they were unable to see any personnel from the PWD department overseeing the work, including the SDO and Overseer. Further the thin layer of carpeting has also been questioned by the villagers who feel the road may suffer damage due to the extremely thin final layer. Angered at the situation, the villagers have threatened to file a PIL in Court if the road deteriorates quickly.
When contacted on the matter, company officials stated that they were working as per the DPR which only has 30 mm final topping.
“We have worked through the DPR and this can be checked by anyone. Further after completion of the road, we still have 5 year maintenance of the same route so if we do shoddy work, we will only add to our own burden. The road will be complete in Jan 2023, well short of what we have been provided,” said the official.
The official added that they have actually gone beyond the DPR and added more to the road on requests from various quarters.
“The DPR states that 60 meters of breast wall is required. We have already done 80 meters and work is ongoing in another 100 meters. Further only 600 meters of open drains have been sanctioned but we have undertaken 4900 meters. We have also completed 151 meters of retaining wall as per DPR but the road requires more so we have approached the department for further sanctions,” he added.
Meanwhile, one of the major concerns of the residents of the area is that despite the route being completed, they would still face problems in connecting with the other side of the River Ildek that runs through the village to the district of East Garo Hills, mainly during the rainy season.
The department, as per the villagers, has sanctioned a causeway to help vehicles and people get across though the height of the hume pipes that will be used has raised concerns.
“There is no bridge to cross the River Ildek at two points and that has always been our bane. We have met PWD officials in Kharkutta and asked them to increase the height of the causeway as the one they are building will be submerged during the rainy season. This will defeat the very purpose of the causeway in the first place.
The gauge of the hume pipes in question is 1200 mm while the river during the summer breaches its banks, several metres higher.
“Our request and demand is the administration and the government should hear our pleas and ensure the road is usable throughout the year. We have suffered enough due to the lack of infrastructure and should not be troubled over this,” stated the sordar of the village.
Being one of the remotest corners in the state, the area near Ildek Akong has struggled to develop financially as producers face a mammoth task in moving their goods to lucrative markets due to the lack of infrastructure.