Govt directs experts to be ready for monsoon’s wrath

SHILLONG, April 25: The state government on Tuesday reviewed the Shillong-Dawki road project while also directing the technical experts to identify the vulnerable stretches of the road in view of the monsoon season and to have a dedicated team for emergency work on standby all the time.
“I reviewed the project of JICA Shillong to Dawki and we also discussed there is PIL against the progress of the road package 1, 4 and 5 and retendering process of the NHIDCL,” Deputy Chief Minister in-charge of PWD (Roads), Prestone Tynsong said after the review meeting.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that the meeting deliberated over the landslide prone areas which can pose life threats especially during monsoon season. The technical team will prepare an action plan, Tynsong added.
On the termination of contract with ARSS Infrastructure Projects Ltd, the company working on the stretch of National Highway 40, by the NHIDCL, the Deputy CM said the poor work of progress prompted the NHIDCL head office to cancel the contract.
The ARSS Infrastructure Projects Ltd. had won the bid to implement Package II of the Shillong-Dawki road project at a cost of Rs 210 crore.
This package entails improvement and two-laning of the road with paved shoulder on a 26-km stretch including the landslide-hit portion near Pynursla.
It is pertinent to note here that the NHIDCL had terminated the contract with ARSS Ltd following the April 14 landslide in which two lives were lost.