Repair stretches of NH-37 : HC
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 31 2017:
A full bench of the High Court of Manipur has directed the Secretary Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Road Transport and Highway to carry out the High Court order regarding repairing of patches of road along National Highway 37 (Imphal-Jiribam road) with immediate effect.
The order was passed today by the full bench High Court of Manipur comprising of Chief Justice Rakesh Ranjan Prasad, Justice N Kotiswar and Justice Kh Nobin after discussing PIL case 46 of 2016 filed by RK Joysana.
The order came after the Advocate General submitted the report of the meeting which was convened in reference to a notification issued on January 30, 2017 by the Consumer Affairs and Food Distribution Department.
According to the submission, a decision was reached after taking into account the ground situation regarding availability of petroleum products and other commodities, in order to mitigate the miseries of the people.
The decision was to have armed convoy escorting 300 trucks (100 for petroleum products, 50 for rice, 50 for various dry food provisions and 100 for various items of cement, steel/iron rods, automobile parts, oxygen and life saving drugs etc) from Jiribam until further notice.
Referring to the decision, the full bench of the High Court enquired the Advocate General whether the 300 vehicles convoy would be possible everyday to which the Advocate General, after consulting the Commissioner cum secretary of Department of Consumer Affairs and Food Distribution, expressed the difficulties and pointed out that the convoy would be plausible four times a week.
The full bench High Court directed the Advocate General to go for the four times a week convoy of 300 vehicles and for 50 out of the 100 vehicles carrying petroleum products to be categorised for petrol.
After Advocate A Romenkumar pointed out that the State Government seemed to lack any mechanism to control the distribution and price rise of essential commodities as a result of unscrupulous traders taking advantage of the current situation, the full bench directed the Department of Consumer Affairs and Food Distribution to convene a meeting today itself in order to formulate a mechanism for the distribution of the food grains and other consumable items and to submit the decision reached at the meeting to the Court tomorrow.
The full bench further enquired ASG S Rupachandra whether direction given by the Court under the order on January 25 regarding deployment of security forces and repairing of National Highway 37 had been carried out.
The ASG, in a confidential letter, submitted that a number of decisions had been taken and even army personnel had been deployed at the necessary places but pointed out that the direction regarding the road repair was yet to be carried out as the process to take such a decision was still underway.
The full bench reminded the ASG that the necessary action should be taken immediately as the bad condition of the road was proving to be a great hurdle while transporting goods from Jiribam to Imphal.
Impleading the Secretary, Ministry of Defence, India and the Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highway, as respondent number 11 and 12 respectively, the full bench High Court directed them to immediately carry out the order regarding repairing of the road.
The full bench High Court further demanded the outcome of the meeting directed before to be placed before the Court tomorrow.
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