By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: While the State Government is in haste about diverting empty trucks through the Shillong bypass, senior officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have expressed serious apprehensions that this will hinder the timely completion of the project.
The Government is under pressure to ease congestion in Shillong city and along the Shillong-Guwahati highway and the only way out is to divert some upcoming traffic through the Shillong bypass. But the General Manager, Guwahati Regional Office NHAI, Raj Chakravarty has literally pleaded with Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh to brief the Government to “have patience for another two years so that the people of Meghalaya will have a top quality road.”
Chakravarty was speaking at the Round Table Discussion on Meghalaya Urban Infrastructure organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce here on Wednesday.
It may be mentioned that the NHAI had been maintaining that that the target for completion of the project is 2014.
Chakravarty informed that the time frame for completing the Rs 226 crore Shillong bypass project is 2014 on account of several handicaps related to land acquisition etc., which have delayed the completion of the project.
It may be recalled on that November 14 last year, Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma had claimed that the Jorabat-Umïam four-laning project on National Highway-40 and the Shillong bypass would be completed well ahead of time.
“The projects would be completed well ahead of time, even though it was targeted to complete by February 2014,” Dr Sangma had told reporters.
Chakravarty suggested that the State Government should also take up with the Union Ministry of Road Transport for construction of an expressway between Shillong and Guwahati.