Defence Minister promises to deliver on Imphal-Jiri Line
Efforts on to beat Dec 2013 deadline : P Raju
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 17, 2012: Union Minister of State for Defence Palam Raju has announced that no stones would be left unturned to complete the construction/ upgradation work of the Imphal-Jiribam stretch of National Highway 37 before the December 2013 deadline set by the Border Roads Organisation.

Speaking to the media at Congress Bhavan today morning, Palam Raju said that he has personally inspected the said stretch of the highway and knows the aspiration of the people.

No efforts would be spared to complete the work before the December 2013 deadline set by the BRO, he added.

The BRO is under the Defence Ministry and Palam Raju was here earlier in April to personally oversee the work progress on the highway.

Talking on some of the important issues 'concerning this stretch of the National Highway, Palam Raju said that though the Ministry of Surface Transport has given the green signal to the Detailed Project Report prepared in respect of the Barak bridge and Makru bridge, the work cannot proceed as it has not yet been sanctioned, as of now.

Apart from the inclement weather, especially during the rainy season, the work over the National Highway has not been progressing satisfactorily since the movement of vehicles along the stretch is heavy, explained the Minister.

Palam Raju however hastened to add that no time has been wasted on the ground that work cannot be taken up and explained that all the necessary material are being readied so that work can be taken up on a war footing once the rain stops.

Informing that the BRO faces a lot of inconveniences in procuring the material needed for road work, the Minister appealed to the people to extend all their co-operation to the work agency.

Palam Raju who was here on a whistle stop visit also trained his guns on the BJP and accused it of levelling false charges against the Prime Minister over coal block allocation.

Seeking to turn the table on the BJP, the Union Minister said that during the days of the BJP led NDA Government, from 1998 to 2004, there was no policy under which coal blocks were allocated.

Altogether 19 licenses were issued to different players sans any policy under the BJP led NDA Government, he claimed.

All this however has been changed under the Congress led UPA Government, he asserted and added that coal blocks are allocated under a policy laid down by the Government.

Giving details on the allocation of coal blocks, the Minister said that the BJP has been levelling false charges against the Prime Minister and trying to derail all the good works of the UPA.

Instead to taking up the debate in Parliament offered by the Government, the BJP preferred to derail all Parliamentary proceedings, he claimed.

DoNER Minister Pawan Singh Ghatowar, who was also present at the media conference, said that the agenda of the BJP is nothing but to level all sort of charges and accusations at the Prime Minister arid the Congress without any merit.

The coal block allocation was done within the boundary of a policy laid down by the Government, he added.

The integrity of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is beyond questioning, he said.

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