SHILLONG, April 17: The National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) Project Implementation Unit in Shillong has apologised unconditionally to the High Court of Meghalaya for incorrect statements in its earlier status reports or affidavits.
Anand Singh Chauhan, the Project Director of the NHAI-PIU, tendered the apology through the agency’s counsel S. Sengupta in an affidavit on April 15. It was pursuant to an order of the court issued on April 9.
Along with the unconditional apology, photographs of the stretches where levelling work has been done were annexed with the affidavit.
Amicus Curiae S. Panthi stated that work has commenced, but pointed out that a third contractor was appointed to do the said work in the same stretch handled by two other contractors earlier.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh directed the NHAI to submit the contracts with the three contractors for the Jowai-Ratacherra section of the highway, as public money is being spent on the project.
The court also directed the NHAI’s counsel to inform it about any action taken against the contractor in the event of failing to perform the job to the satisfaction of the authorities.
The court accepted the NHAI’s statement that immediate steps would be taken to barricade the sections and other such stretches where boulders (from the photographs attached) are lying on the road, to ensure that no untoward incident takes place due to obstructions.
The NHAI’s counsel was asked to submit a fresh status report on May 14, outlining the work done.
Ordering Chauhan to be present on every date “unless his presence is dispensed with”, the court said “whether or not to drop the contempt proceedings” would be considered at an appropriate stage.
