PHED told to not lay water pipes on Nongrim Hills-Demseiniong road
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 10: The PWD (Roads) on Monday asked the PHE department to stop the laying of the water pipes of the newly Nongrim Hills-Demseiniong blacktopped road, which also evoked strong reactions including allegations that there is lack of coordination between the government departments.
sThe PWD had to stop the PHED from continuing with its digging work after it was found that the department had dug right in the middle of the newly blacktopped road for laying of water pipes.
A senior official of the PWD informed that the PHE department was supposed to lay the pipes along the side drains without destroying the blacktopped portion.
According to the official, the PHE department staff had laid the pipes by digging up right in the middle of the road by claiming that there were already water pipes along the side drains.
The official said that they have made it very clear that they should have consulted with the Junior Engineers of the PWD before digging up the middle of the road.
“We have made it very clear that we will not allow the work to continue if there is no assurance from PHED that they will not destroy the blacktopped road,” a senior official said, while adding that the laying of the pipes should be within side drains without damaging the newly constructed road.
TMC local MLA from Nongthymmai, Charles Pyngrope said that this reflects the lack of coordination between the two departments.
According to Pyngrope the work of laying of the pipes should have been done before this road was blacktopped.
“Now people are facing great inconvenience due to the laying of the pipes by digging up the middle of the road,” Pyngrope said.
Echoing similar concerns, Nongrim Hills Rangbah Shnong, Bantylli L Narry said that they are very unhappy due to lack of professionalism in executing the work for laying of the pipes. “We have just got this new road. But now people have to again suffer due to the bad decision of digging the middle of the road,” Narry said while urging the PWD to take steps to repair the damaged portion of the road at the earliest.