Works Minister Ratankumar bats for improvement of NHs in Manipur
Source: Hueiyen News Service / MIC

Guwahati, May 02 2015 : Manipur Minister of Works and Transport Dr Kh Ratankumar Singh has raised issues pertaining to the improvement of National Highways in the State.

The Minister was speaking at the meeting of the Chief Ministers and PWD Ministers of the Northeastern region including Sikkim held at Hotel Radisson Blu, Guwahati.

The meeting was chaired by Union Minister of Road, Transport and Shipping Nitin Gadkari who also committed Rs 15000 crore for development of road infrastructure for Northeast for the current fiscal.

Referring to the NH 37 (N) known as Imphal -Jiribam Road, Ratankumar said that out of the total length 222 km, the maintenance of the major length of the road was carried out by the Border Road Organization except 3,220 km length which was under the State PWD.

Of the total length of the highway, 30 percent of the road was yet to be black topped.

Highlighting the Barak Bridge and Makru Bridge, both Bailey suspension bridges along the highway, the works minister drew the attention of the Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways to construct permanent bridges so as to make it capable of carrying IRC Class AA loading.

Nitin Gadkari (2nd from L) and Ratankumar (2nd from R) during the meeting in Guwahati

These bridges could cater lesser loading up to the maximum of 24 tons.

The Minister also reported that the construction bring the NH 37 (N) into a better condition so that there were no more semi-permanent bridges on the road.

Ratankumer also stated that the approaches of the Makru Bridge for about 3 km each on either side were in a deplorable condition and no work was taken up to upgrade the road.

He requested to the Union Minister to repair it before the onset of monsoon.

The minister also pointed out that NH 37 (N) was the lifeline of Manipur which required to be kept traffic worthy throughout the year so that the road could be utilized during Bandh or blockade on other lifeline NH (N) .

Referring to NH 2 (N) which originated from Numaligarh in Assam passing through Dimapur-Kohima-Imphal� Churachandpur-Tipaimukh up to Aizawl in Mizoram; the PWD Minister stated that the stretch of road from Mao to Churachandpur was looked after by the state PWD and Churachandpur to Tipaimukh by the BRO.

He informed that the Bailey bridge at Tipaimukh over the Tuivai River under the jurisdiction of PWD Mizoram was not safe and functional and requested for the construction of a permanent bridge.

Describing the NH a very important road link connecting neighbouring states, he also requested the Centre to keep whole stretch of the NH in good condition.

Referring to NH 102 (N), Ratankumar pointed out that the road connected Myanmar via Moreh, the border town and international market centre doing free trade of the India with Myanmar.

It acted as the main gateway for the Act East Policy of India.

He drew the attention of the Union Minister to convert the double lane highway into the four-lane considering its future potential.

The minister stated that the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highway was taking up a project for four-laning the Highway from Imphal to Pallel and requested to consider for four-laning the whole stretch of the highway.

The highway was also Asian Highway-1 connecting the far eastern countries of Asia, he added.

Ratankumar recalled the construction of East West corridor connecting Porbandar in Gujarat to Silchar in Assam during the previous NDA government led by the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

He said the present Government under the leadership of Narendra Modi was implementing the Look East Policy as Act East Policy to integrate the country with the South East Asian economies.

Unless the East West Corridor was extended from Silchar to Imphal and further to Moreh, the border town with Myanmar, it would be difficult to realize the Act East Policy as a seamless movement of goods and people between India and South East Asian Countries was imminent.

Ratankumar urged upon the Union Minister to declare the extension of East West Corridor upto Moreh in Manipur.

On top priority, Manipur Works Minister demanded the Union Minister to instruct the BRO to complete the black topping of the NH 37 (N) on war footing before the onset of monsoon.

He reported that the BRO made assurances time and again to the State government for completion of the blacktopping.

The target date of the first assurance made by the BRO was December 2013, and then March 2014 and then December 2014 as last assurance.

The State Government had been requesting the Centre to construct the Barak Bridge as well as Makru Bridge permanently.

He requested the Union Minister to give serious attention to the matter and track the status of the preparation of the DPRs of these two bridges on top priority.

The Works Minister mentioned that the Ministry had recently declared NH 157 (N) which was earlier the State highway and the PWD Manipur proposed a sum of Rs 300 crore in the annual Plan 2015-16 for improving the total stretch of 145 km of the highway.

He requested Gadkari to approve the proposal as special case since the highway was an important for the Manipur valley which would benefit the economy of the state to a large extent.

Ratankumar invited the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highway Nitin Gadkari to Manipur in his next visit so that he could have a first-hand experience on the development of road works in Manipur.