SHILLONG, June 21: The retrofitting work on the Umiam dam is on the verge of completion with some additional work left that will be taken up underneath the dam to further improve the dam’s lifespan.
MeECL CMD, Sanjay Goyal on Friday said the ongoing retrofitting work will be completed by the end of July and the concrete work has been completed on one side and work is under way on the other side of the dam.
He said the additional work underneath the dam will not hamper traffic movement across the dam and is not related to the ongoing retrofitting work.
He said the government is spending around Rs 25 crore for the retrofitting work. The rehabilitation work is just a part of the complete project that also involves several other segments.
The project is being monitored by the Central Water Commission and all the DPRs are being vetted by the central team. Experts have been engaged to oversee the quality of work, he said.
The MeECL is likely to impose load restriction on the dam to ensure that the bridge sustains no more damage.
The government is consulting IIT Guwahati on the maximum load to be allowed on the bridge. In addition, CCTV cameras will be installed on the dam to ensure that heavy vehicles do not pass through the dam.