Mandatory WBM exercise skipped on Mao-Maram stretch of the highway
BRO draws flak, MRT approves fresh work
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 28 2012:
It has turned out that it is not only on NH-37 which has earned the BRO severe criticisms, but on NH 2 too that the BRO was paying little attention to the qualitative aspect of the highway development work though it appears to be relatively better than NH 37 .
BRO was in charge of the 23.45 Kms long stretch from Mao to Maram for more than 30 years.
The State Government took over the said section only on August 20, 2010 .
At that time, the highway section was in very good shape.
But soon after, the road started breaking up and the State Government was compelled to send a proposal to the Ministry of Road Transport for special repairing of the same section.
A portion of the Mao-Maram section had sunk near Makhan in addition to low volume landslides which were happening every now and then within the section.
It turned out that BRO black-topped the highway section skipping the mandatory WBM part.
Though the highway section was ostensibly good and smooth, the highway has broken up throughout this stretch.
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There was no sign of laying WBM near Tadubi except shingles and earth.
Meanwhile, information received from PWD said that the proposal to undertake a special repairing of the highway section has been approved by the Ministry of Road Transport.
As a part of the repairing programme, a thin layer of bitumen (20 mm) would be re-laid on the same section.
Taking serious note of the absence of any foundation like WBM though the road surface looked very smooth, a revised proposal was sent to the Ministry of Road Transport to repair the section fully by laying WBM anew.
Already Director General of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has inspected the flawed and torn highway section.
It was the Director General himself who advised the PWD to send a revised proposal.
But the revised proposal has not been approved till date.
Liability of around Rs two crores has been already worked out for repairing landslide prone section and sunken portions.
But there would be no money to pay this liability if the revised proposal for special repairing is not sanctioned, added the source.