By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 11: UDP vice president PT Sawkmie on Saturday said that the Leader of Opposition (LoP), Ronnie V Lyngdoh was wrong to accuse the state government for its lack of oversight.
Sawkmie, who is the former MLA of Mawlai, said that the LoP should not forget about the fact that it was the Congress party which had ruled the state for more than 40 years.
According to him, the Congress should be blamed for the lack of development in the state.
While highlighting some of the achievements of the present government, Sawkmie said that the government has implemented several important road projects across the state.
The UDP leader said that the Opposition Congress should have appreciated the efforts and the initiative of the present government under the leadership of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong.
He further appealed to the citizens and pressure groups to work together with the government for the successful implementation of the important projects in the state.
“Unless we work together, it will be difficult to complete the project, especially the big projects,” Sawkmie said.
It may be recalled that the LoP had questioned the state government about the absence of oversight over the Dawki–Amlarem–Jowai road construction project, which was being carried out by Dhar Constructions.
The HYC War Jaintia circle, Synjuk Ki Rangbah Shnong (War-Jaintia), the Association of Exporters, and residents of the area have formed a Joint Action Committee (JAC), and have threatened to take Dhar Constructions to the court over their alleged shoddy construction work of the 16-km road that was approved by the Centre at a cost of Rs 43 crore.
“The state government bears the responsibility. There ought to have been oversight. The engineers were not present. If allowed the opportunity, the contractor would choose to optimise its profits. Isn’t supervision the responsibility of the PWD under the state government?” Lyngdoh had asked.
“Public funds are used by us to construct assets. Therefore, we should make sure that when a road is built, it lasts for at least five years, if not longer,” he continued.
Referring to RTI findings, JAC member and HYC president Yoodahunki Shylla stated that the overall authorization for the 16-km road from Nongtalang to Dawki was more than Rs 43.69 crore.
Two months after it was built, the 16-km stretch of the national highway began to deteriorate, forcing the JAC to file an RTI.
The opposition Trinamool Congress has challenged the government to blacklist Dhar Constructions if it is established that they were involved in poor road construction work and accused the NPP-led MDA 2.0 Government of “mortgaging” Meghalaya in the hands of a few contractors who funded their election budget.