No bill payment without geo tag photo : RD and PR Minister Khemchand
At Ram Muivah's prompting Shirui road inspected
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 12 2022: Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (RD&PR) Minister Y Khemchand has categorically stated that no bill would be released for PMGSY works until and unless geo tagging photographs of the works executed are furnished.

Khemchand made a field inspection of the road construction work from Shirui to Kachouphung yesterday.

The 103 Kms long road which passes through 12 villages is being constructed under PMGSY after dividing the same work into five packages.

The total amount sanctioned for the project is Rs 56.94 crore and it includes Rs 6.32 crore for bridges.

Earlier, the project was targeted for completion by October 2020 but the target could not be met due to the Covid-19 pandemic and some other factors.

No bill payment without geo tag photo : RD and PR Minister Khemchand

Nonetheless, March 2023 has been set as a new target for completion of the project.

Notably, PMGSY Phases I and II are expiring on September 30 this year.

However, works taken up under PMGSY Phases I and II which are still incomplete can be completed with soft loans.

After making a direct assessment of the road construction work, Khemchand told media persons that Shirui-Kachouphung road is one of the longest roads constructed under PMGSY.

He said that he went for field inspection of the road construction work after the same work was raised in the State Assembly by Ukhrul AC MLA Ram Muivah.

The road construction work was found satisfactory at some portions but it was not so at some other portions, the RD&PR Minister remarked.

He said that there are some points along the road which have fallen into very bad shape as water flowing down from high mountains fall at these points.

As the State has very little resources of its own for construction of roads in rural areas, it is PMGSY which has been funding construction of most roads in rural areas, Khemchand said.

Being a very long road, the contractor was not found on the work site although a few Moharis were found supervising the road construction work.

As such, it was found that the road was not constructed properly at some portions, he observed.

Culverts were found constructed by depositing some boulders and a layer of cement.

As such, the agency executing the work has been instructed to demolish culverts at two places and construct them anew, Khemchand told media persons.

Pointing that good road infrastructure is the foundation for economic development of the State, the RD&PR Minister appealed to all contractors to give some thoughts to the future of the State instead of focusing all their attention on earning profits.

Had the local MLA not raised the matter in the State Assembly, the flaws committed in the process of constructing the road would not have been noticed, he continued.

"Even though it appeared that there was a huge gap between the hills and the valley, the warm reception accorded to us by the local people when we went to the Shirui Festival affirmed that we are all brothers," Khemchand said.

The hills and the valley are the body and soul and the two can never be separated, he said.

All stakeholders including the Government, engineers and the public need to take collectively responsibility of supervising contract works and ensure that the works are executed without compromising on the qualitative aspect, he asserted.

He said that no bills would be released for contract works until and unless geo tagging photographs of the works executed are furnished.

He appealed to contractors and engineers to execute contract works sincerely and discharge their duties honestly.

MLA Ram Muivah said that he was gratified at the RD&PR Minister's visit to the road construction site.

The waterfalls, forests and rivers of Khayang and Kachouphung areas are all exquisite and they have all the potential to attract a good number of tourists, Ram Muivah said.

Khayangpung mountain is more than 1000 feet tall and it is one of the highest mountains of Manipur.

The Khayang Waterfall which is around 380 feet high is also quite captivating but very few people visit the waterfall as there is no road, the MLA said.

Khayang village would definitely become a popular tourist spot in the State if there is standard road infrastructure, he asserted.

Additional Chief Secretary MH Khan, RD&PR Additional Chief Engineer Kh Rajen and the Kamjong DC accompanied the inspection team led by Y Khemchand.