Two days Winter session of Assembly : Works Minister cites high land prices for delay in acquisition
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 20 2018: Works Minister Th Biswajit has stated that some land owners demanded very high prices for their portions of land which would be acquired by the Government for development of Imphal-Moreh highway.Responding to a call attention motion raised by Congress MLA Okram Surjakumar in the State Assembly today, Biswajit said that the State Government opted direct purchase of land in place of the usual land acquisition process under the Land Acquisition Act as the State Government is committed to see an expanded and well-developed highway from Imphal to Moreh within the shortest possible time.

The Government chose to pay land compensation at the rates agreed between the work agency and land owners through respective DCs.

As for the land owners who demanded reasonable price for areas which would be acquired by the Government through direct purchase, all their cases have been settled, the PWD Minister informed the House.

Even as the Works Minister cited high cost in land acquisition for the delay on the floor of the Assembly, landowners affected by the NH-102 expansion have formed a JAC today and staged a sit in demanding fair compensation at the earliest.

Villagers including children of Chahmol and adjoining areas, affected by the expansion work, participated in the protest.

Biswajit said that as per a gazette notification issued last month, Imphal-Lilong section of Imphal-Moreh highway is retained by the State Government while Lilong-Moreh section has been entrusted to NHIDCL.

Work has begun on Wangjing-Kongkhang section too (package no 2) and the Government has been considering the requisite land that should be acquired through the State's Land Acquisition Act or the National Highways Act in case the Government's offer for direct purchase is declined by any land owner.

Tender for Lilong-Wangjing section (package no 1) has already been uploaded on the relevant websites, he said.

Imphal-Moreh highway is a part of Asian Highway I and it would connect several Asian countries.

Work order for construction of Imphal-Moreh highway was issued in October this year and execution of the work has already begun, Biswajit informed the House.

Earlier, raising the call attention motion, Okram Surjakumar said that around 20 people have been killed this year in road accidents along Imphal-Moreh highway and most of these accidents were caused by dilapidated condition of the highway and presence of large pits on either side.

Informing that 86 to 100 people sustained injuries in road accidents which took place along the same highway this year, the Congress MLA sought immediate attention of the Chief Minister and the Works Minister towards the highly tardy pace ofhighway construction.

He said that accidents happen very frequently on the highway as its condition is getting worse over the years even though the Government of India has been working to develop Imphal-Moreh highway as a standard highway of international importance.

Earlier, it was announced that Rs 22 crore had been sanctioned for development of MU Gate-Lilong section.

He said that land necessary for expansion of MU Gate-Lilong section had been already acquired and work order as well as sanction letters were issued in 2015 but the project has so far achieved no progress.

The Congress MLA further asserted that a large number of people have been pinning hopes of generating self employment as and when Imphal-Moreh highway is developed as a standard highway.

If the highway is developed as a standard highway, Imphal-Mandalay bus service can be introduced, he added.

Responding to the call attention motion, Biswajit stated that the main causes of frequent accidents are narrowness of the highway and lack of diversions.

As for the presence of large pits on either side of the highway, they should be filled in based on the progress of the highway construction work and there are certain technical reasons, the Works Minister added while regretting the accidents that took place on the highway.

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