Imphal, January 14 2010: The Border Road Organisation (BRO) is outdated, said Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi in the Manipur Legislative Assembly today.

The Chief Minister was replying to a calling attention motion moved by Opposition MLAs T Hangkhanpao and V Hangkhanlian on the pretty bad condition of the Singhat- Singjol-Tuivai (Guite) road which has remained unrepaired for a long time.

Chief Minister Ibobi said, no work is assigned to the BRO any longer in all developed cities in the country.

Rather big companies are assigned new projects on the condition that the work should be accomplished within a stipulated time.

The BRO is engaged only in the interior parts of states like Manipur, Nagaland and Jammu & Kashmir, he said.

He further said that the government is well aware of the importance of Guite road.

Besides, knowing full well the desire of the people of those areas, the state Cabinet had taken decisions two times on assigning the BRO to improve the road.

Moreover, he himself had sat together with the officials of BRO in the office chamber of the Union Defence Minister in New Delhi and directed them to start improvement work on the road.

However, they refused to do the work on the ground that they had no manpower.

At the same time, the state government had started improvement work on the road with Rs 80 crore sanctioned by the North Eastern Council (NEC).

Work had been completed on a 30 km long stretch of the road from Churachandpur to Singhat.

About Rs 30 crore had been spent.

If the BRO agrees to do the work on the rest of the road with the remaining fund of Rs 50 crore, the government has no objection to hand over the work to the BRO.

The work can be handed over to the BRO today itself, the Chief Minister said.

He also said that the BRO had not performed well on the National Highway 39 from Mao to Maram, and since they had failed to repair the road for 30 years, the state government took the responsibility to improve the national highway.

However, as they are saying that they will complete the work that had been given to them, they are still working in some areas.

Since the work for the remaining amount of Rs 50 crore released by the NEC is not completed, the BRO is unlikely to take up the rest of the work, the Chief Minister said.

Chief Minister Ibobi said, if the two MLAs did not believe this, the officials of BRO could be called to his office and the two MLAs, student organizations and other NGOs could sit together and see whether the BRO agrees to take up the work or not.

If they agree to do the work with Rs 50 crore funded by the NEC, then the work will be handed over to the BRO at once.

Replying to the calling attention motion, Works Minister K Ranjit said, the distance of Churachandpur to Tuivai road is 160 kms.

The NEC had sanctioned Rs 82.53 crore in 2005 and 2006 .

About 30 km of the 160 km long road, from Churanchandpur to Singhat had been improved with about Rs 30 crore.

About Rs 50 crore is remaining.

Minister Ranjit said, NGOs of those areas had objected to the PWD taking up further work on the road.

They tried to burn the JCB and other materials, and assaulted the supervisor of the work injuring him on the head.

Thus, the PWD couldn't execute the work.

The government has no objection in handing over the work on the road to the BRO, said Works Minister Ranjit adding that however, unless the old sanctioned amount is used, the BRO would not agree to take up the work.

Moreover, when the road is handed over to the BRO, they will make a separate project and take up survey works.

Even if they agree to do the work, they will take at least two or three years in making project and taking up survey work.

Therefore, the Minister appealed to the two MLAs to take the responsibility to see that no hindrances are given to the PWD in doing further work on the road with the remaining amount of Rs 50 crore by maintaining quality.

The work done by the PWD will also be with quality just as the BRO does.

The Churachandpur-Singhat portion of the road is the living example of maintaining quality, Ranjit said.

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