Coordination failure dogs sewerage project
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 08 2012: The Imphal Sewerage Project, as it has turned out today, continues to be dogged by lack of coordination among engineers within PHED from the very beginning.

Significantly, the project is targeted for completion by March next year after postponing its date of completion repeatedly.

Talking to The Sangai Express, one PHED official who is monitoring the sewerage project conceded that out of the many development projects taken up by the State Government, it is the sewerage project which has caused the greatest inconveniences to the public for a prolonged period.

One main reason for this drawback is implementation of the project by some high ranking engineers on deputation without consulting other engineers.

The project being implemented with material assistance from the Government of France is a mega project.

Being a mega project, due consultations should be made before implementing the project so as to minimise inconveniences caused to public.

The dug out portion of the road to the south of Raj Bhavan

Without proper consultation, top-ranking engineers assigned a number of contractors to dig up roads at different parts of Imphal city.

This resulted in serious hindrances to the normal traffic flow.

No proper survey was done about the shape of Imphal city roads and the volume of traffic before excavating the roads.

Had the main holes been excavated one by one after diverting traffic to another direction, inconveniences being endured by the public would not have been so severe, said the official.

Apart from enduring air pollution for a prolonged period because of roads dug out for the project, the main holes have even claimed human lives by accident.

After the main holes were dug out in a haphazard manner hiring a number of contractors, the contractors suspended their works because their liabilities were not paid.

Even though an official meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary noted the need for close coordination between PHED and PWD in executing the sewerage project, and decided that PHED should handle the part of digging roads, laying pipes and filling up the dug out portions and PWD should take care of black-topping the dug out portions, this decision was never translated into action.

The decision was kept in abeyance because PWD could not wait any longer when PHED was awaiting pipes for laying them underground.

PWD black-topped the dug out portions only to be dug out again by PHED when the pipes arrived.

These failures were responsible for the undue delay in completing the project and also the inconveniences being endured by the public for the last many years.

Moreover, the delay has also multiplied the cost of the project, added the official.

At the moment the road running to the south of Raj Bhavan remains dug out, compounding the heavy traffic at this spot.