Rs 61.81-crore Mawmaram-Lad Umsaw road project funded by World Bank
SHILLONG, April 16: RTI activist Napoleon Mawphniang on Wednesday asked the state government to recommend a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Mawmaram-Lad Umsaw road project.
The activist claimed that he has managed to uncover disturbing evidence of systemic violations, financial irregularities and environmental non-compliance in the Rs 61.81 crore project which is funded by the World Bank.
He said his RTI inquiries revealed a troubling lack of transparency in the selection process of contractors. He said when he had enquired about the qualifications and experience of the contractors, the Public Works Department (PWD) repeatedly responded with “information not available” or “N/A”.
According to him, this raised serious concerns about how a contract worth over Rs 61 crore was awarded to a joint venture between Tanor Engineering Pvt Ltd and Sunshine Sawkmie without proper verification of their credentials.
Mawphniang also said that the department could not provide information on whether any of the contractors was previously blacklisted. The department does not have any knowledge about how many projects the selected contractors had previously completed in Meghalaya, he said.
The activist said the PWD failed to provide information on whether the contractors had any past experience of working on World Bank-funded projects.
Despite claims of adherence to the World Bank’s anti-corruption policy, he said the department failed to implement basic financial oversight mechanisms.
According to him, no dedicated anti-corruption committee exists for this project. He also said that no training or awareness programmes have been conducted for the project staff regarding anti-corruption measures.
He said neither any independent external monitors have been appointed to oversee the project nor is there any system for asset declaration by key project officials to prevent conflicts of interest.
The activist said the RTI responses revealed a concerning disregard for environmental protection. While 11 trees were lopped off for the project, he said the re-plantation strategy is vaguely described as “included in the scope of work” without any specific details.
He said two disposal sites are mentioned for waste management but no details have been provided on waste segregation or treatment.
According to Mawphniang, no information is provided on measures to prevent landslides in hilly sections despite this being a critical safety concern.
While the department claims an Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted, the activist alleged the implementation of environmental safeguards appeared severely lacking since no information is provided on specific measures taken to minimise the project’s impact on local flora and fauna.
He said neither any climate vulnerability assessment has been conducted nor has any specific design feature been incorporated to make the road resilient to extreme weather events.
“No flood mitigation measures are included in the road design,” he said, adding that the RTI responses revealed alarming safety deficiencies that put public lives at risk.
He said crash barriers have been installed on only 11.327 km of the total 41.527 km road length, leaving 73% of the road without adequate safety barriers. There are no provisions for pedestrian crossings, creating serious hazards for vulnerable road users, he added.
Stating that no lighting infrastructure has been installed, thereby compromising night-time safety, Mawphniang said no traffic signals have been installed at junctions or intersections, despite the road having 43 intersections according to the Detailed Project Report.
He said the technical specifications as revealed in the RTI response indicated substandard design parameters. He said the surface course thickness is only 30 mm which falls significantly below the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) standards that recommend a minimum of 40-50 mm for bituminous wearing course on highways.
Mawphniang said the road has a maximum gradient of 7% which exceeds the recommended 6% for hilly terrain as per IRC standards, adding that the cross slope (camber) is only 2.5% which may be inadequate for proper drainage in Meghalaya’s high rainfall conditions.
The activist suspected that there was potential corruption in the selection of the contractors. He demanded a probe into the utilisation of the World Bank funds, potential financial irregularities and non-implementation of environmental safeguards. Further, he demanded that all further payments to the contractors be suspended pending investigation.
“A high-level technical audit be commissioned to assess the structural integrity and safety of the constructed portions. All project documents be made public on the PWD website,” he said adding that a comprehensive environmental and social impact assessment be conducted by an independent agency.
He said the project represents not only a case of administrative oversight but a systematic failure of governance that threatens public safety, environmental sustainability, and financial propriety.
The activist said the pattern of evasive responses to legitimate RTI queries further suggests a deliberate attempt to conceal information from public scrutiny.