Assam Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal has warned contractors and officials of a jail term for sub-standard work while implementing government schemes, especially those related to the infrastructure sector. PWD Minister of Assam, Parimal Suklabaidya himself inspected the road repair site near the hockey stadium at Guwahati. This is a much needed intervention in the area of governance. That the Chief Minister should threaten a jail term against defaulting contractors and officials means he is aware of the poor road condition in Assam of which Silchar the second largest city after Guwahati is a clear example. There are other areas in Upper Assam too that are not yet been connected by good roads. For decades the politician-contractor-bureaucrat- technocrat nexus in most states has turned our roads into rough, uneven, exposed paths with huge craters that could cause accidents.
Meghalaya’s roads used to be one of the best in the region but in the last five years they have exposed the rot in the system. The Public Works Department was ministered by a contractor. This is like giving the house keys to a thief and expecting him to safeguard the belongings in there. The repairs that are being undertaken during the dry season are cosmetic in nature and the roads are unlikely to survive the next monsoons. It is intuitive that the Meghalaya High Court had to step in and order the National Highways Authority of India to urgently repair the stretch of highway at Umsning which had degenerated to a point where it had become dangerous for vehicles with passengers to ply on. While we appreciate the High Court for stepping into the area of governance, it is also a sad commentary on the complete failure of the executive which has been vested with that power, to deliver on its mandate. The Assam Chief Minister has taken a commendable initiative. Can the next Chief Minister of Meghalaya follow in his footsteps?
