Work of broadening Tiddim Road ceased in absence of work order
Source: Hueiyen News Service / RC Mangangcha

Imphal, December 17 2014: The hectic work of widening Tiddim Road starting from Keishampat to Malom which had witnessed 24-hour engagement using folk light in night time to ensure speedy completion has been halted ever since the end of the Sangai Festival even as concerned officials are tight lipped on when the work will resume.

Notably, Chief Minister O Ibobi had chided a contractor entrusted with the road widening work for not fastening his assigned task.

The CM had even told the concerned contractors that if they are worrying about not receiving money then they can come to his place to take money required in the widening work of the road.

Following words of the CM, the contractors have been engaging in the work day and night thinking that their efforts would not go in vain.

Interestingly, when this daily attempted to find out reasons behind sudden cease of the widening work of the road just after the conclusion of the Sangai Festival, it came to light that the work was initiated without getting work order or letter of Indian.

The Tiddim Road is a National Highway therefore responsibility for its repairing falls under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

Though the work for repairing of the National Highway is handed over to the State Government, a detailed project report of the work has to be sent to the Ministry to request to include fund for the work in the Financial Year.

After inclusion in the Financial Year, a proper tender should be floated to award the work to competent agency.

Since the concerned contractors have already completed 25 percent of the widening work of the road at an estimated cost of crores of rupee, they would be now reeling under sleepless night as the work was initiated without following laid-out protocols.

Sources said the State Government had sent DPR of the work to the Ministry recently.

Required fund needed for the work will be earmarked in Review Meeting of the Cabinet to be held soon.

The government had spent around Rs 75 crore from its exchequer in giving compensation to owners of houses affected by the widening work of the road.

In a hurried manner, seven contractors were entrusted with the work of filling earth along the road.

After earth was filled along Keishampat-Kwakeithel stretch, newly hired contractors then dug out the earth which was already filled.

As per instruction, work for filling earth using different kinds of stone, sand and roller was started.

Owing to sudden halt of the work by the contractors in absence of any work order or letter of Indian, passage along the road has been severely hit due to blocking of half the road for construction of four culverts.

An attempt was also made by this daily to cull information on the sudden cease of the widening work of the road from the concerned authorities but proved futile.

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