Onus on state to justify double engine narrative
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: July 21, 2022 -
THE approval given by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) for expansion of the 15 km-long Imphal-Keithelmanbi road section along the Imphal-Jiribam road could be construed as testament of the
double-engine government’s thrust to accelerate infrastructure development in the northeast region.
While it is hoped that works minister Govindas Konthoujam wouldn’t remain idle but strive to live up to the expectation of the people by bringing notable improvement in the condition of the transport network, it needs no reminding that the minister shall have to closely monitor actual implementation and fruition of the projects sanctioned by the MORTH.
In fact, minister Govindas must not only periodically hold review meeting on road construction works including national highways in the state but also make spot visits to ensure that the project implementing agencies complete the assigned task within the targeted period as roadways are the only means of transportation of both goods and people in this landlocked hilly state.
As told to this daily by minister Govindas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi heeded to the repeated requests of chief minister N Biren for expansion of the Imphal-Keithelmanbi section of the national highway, which signifies that if the state could place proposals for people-friendly and economically viable projects then the centre wouldn’t fret from sanctioning the requisite fund.
That minister Govindas will have to remain ever vigilant could be comprehended from his own disclosure that construction of drain on both flanks of the said road was found to have executed in contravention of
the prescribed norms and new drain shall have to be constructed.
It’s also an irony that the officials of NHIDCL, which has been winning praises from Union minister Nitin Gadkari over its record-breaking speed in completing road projects in other parts of the country, had to be reminded of the need to properly and expeditiously implement the national highway projects entrusted to it in the state.
There might be issues like unsettled land demarcation and payment of compensation but there is substance in minister Govindas’ advice that NHIDCL can’t put on hold road development works in case of land dispute but instead concentrate its machinery and workforce in areas where there are no issues.
As roads are the arteries for development in the state, not to speak about the mainly mountainous north-eastern states, the Narendra Modi government has been building them at one of the fastest speeds ever seen in the region.
As per official records, the pace of road construction in the pre-Modi government era used to be one kilometre a day and generally extended for years, but it has now been spiked to 37 kilometres a day by the NHIDCL, which is also credited for fully or 90 per cent completion before the deadline of the projects.
Thus, with many of the road projects in the state either underway or nearing completion, there is high expectation that existence of quality national and state highways will bring trade and access parity.
As such, it is desired that minister Govindas frequently conduct spot inspections to address problems likely to slacken the pace of the projects’ implementation in order to demonstrate that the double-engine narrative is not intended to bewitch the masses.
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