Chaoba writes to PM to put NH-37 on his 100 days road map
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 04 2014: Drawing the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the pathetic condition of NH-37 (Imphal-Jiri line) and the need to improve road connectivity between the State and the rest of the country, State unit of the BJP, Th Chaoba has written to the Prime Minister to include the said route in his 100 day action plan programme which was announced soon after he (Modi) assumed office.

Distributing the written missive sent to the Prime Minister to reporters today, Th Chaoba said that the Imphal-Jiribam route and Imphal-Dimapur line are the only two lifelines of the State.

File pic of an official checking the clamps of Barak bridge

However these two lifelines often come under blockades and bandhs and anti-social elements have a field day on these routes, extorting from the transporters and putting the lives of the drivers at peril, he added.

The problem is more acute on the Imphal-Dimapur stretch of NH-2, said Chaoba and added that the State Government has never shown the gumption to tackle the issues in the appropriate manner.

Continuing, Th Chaoba said that the proposal was sent after the Prime Minister asked for it when the State BJP urged him to include the said stretch of the highway in the 100 day action plan programme of the Prime Minister.

Pointing an accusing finger at the BRO, Th Chaoba said that since they have failed to put in their best effort, the said stretch of the National Highway has not seen much progress and it becomes a big problem for transporters to ship in the essential goods, especially during Monsoon.

The State Government too has not been paying the needed attention to this route, he added.

As such the Prime Minister has been urged to relieve the BRO of the responsibility of upgrading the said highway and instead hand it over to the Union Transport Ministry.

Work can proceed smoothly with the deployment of adequate security forces, he added.

Asserting that developing the Imphal-Jiribam stretch is at the top of the priority list of the BJP, Chaoba said that it not only tops the election manifesto of the party, but even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stressed its importance during the election rally held on February 8 earlier this year.

To upgrade this route, a team from Manipur including experts will proceed to New Delhi to organise a function under the theme, 'New Road, New Hope,' he added.

Claiming that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has been a big flop in the State, Chaoba claimed that far from providing employment for 100 days in a year to the poor people, here they are provided only 20/30 working days.

Moreover the State Government has failed to cough up the 10 pc share of the said the programme and added that instead MLAs have been garnering 25 pc of the work programme.

The matter will be highlighted to the Prime Minister in clear cut manner, he added.