Imphal, February 11 2009: State government's proposal for taking over the construction and maintenance of the entire length of the National Highway-39 (Imphal-Mao) lying within the state has been turned down by the Union Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, official source disclosed here today.

The state Cabinet at meeting held during the month of January took a decision to take over the construction and maintenance works of the entire length of the Imphal-Mao section of NH-39 .

The source said that the decision was taken in view of the paucity of fund released for maintenance of the National Highways and alleging unsatisfactory performance of the Border Road Organisation (BRO) in the repairing and maintenance of the National Highways under its jurisdiction, and considering the importance of NH-39 as the main life-line of the state.

The proposal of the Manipur government had been turned down by the Ministry during a meeting held with state Chief Secretary in New Delhi last weekend, the source said.

Giving hint about the Ministry's refusal to the state government's request, the source said that there is a liability of Rs 15.86 crore for the Maram-Imphal sector (under state PWD).

Rs 2.30 crores and Rs 1,085 crore had been provided by the Union Ministry for the maintenance of all highways in Manipur (under state PWD) measuring about 281.59 kms for 2007-08 and 2008-09 respectively.

A sum of Rs 84 lakhs is annually expended for payment of wages to master roll and work charged staff of PWD from charged staff of PWD from the fund provided by the government of India for maintenance of National Highways.

As such, state government observed that the fund provided for maintenance of the NHs is too meager to execute works properly.

It is on this background that the state Cabinet it its meeting held on November 25, 2008 has approved to provide a sum of Rs 2 crore from the state budget for 2008-09 for completion of the ongoing maintenance works of NH-39, the source said.

The observation of the state government is totally contrast with the earlier decision of the state government in the early part of the last year 2008 which state government with the approval of the state Cabinet had requested the Union Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways to hand over the entire length of the NHs no.39, 53 and 150 in Manipur to the Border Roads Organisation for construction and maintenance.

In compliance to the state government request, the ministry issued Gazette Notification on February 5, 2008 for entrustment of the development and maintenance of the stretch from Maram to Imphal (Km 236 to km 311) on NH-39 to the BRO.

However, till date BRO not taken the charge as the conditions set by them to the state PWD to fulfill before taking over the entrusted work is yet not translated into action.

The conditions set by the BRO were to complete all the on going works through contract, completion of the bridges under construction and clear the liabilities of the state government before handing over.

Road is to be handed over free of all encumbrances, all components/assets be also handed over, provide list of government sanction of all complete jobs n this road and to hand over all existing road side accommodation on this road stretch were the other conditions that had set by the authority of the BRO.

BRO could not took the entrusted works as the ongoing work for 1.7 km on the stretch of the highway is yet to complete by the state PWD apart from not clearing the liabilities of the Maram-Imphal sector of the highway by the state government.

Till date, the state government had not taken any decision to clear the liabilities, the source maintained.

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