Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 16:
The contractor of work for widening of National Highway 39 from existing two lanes to 4 lanes from the point of Koirengei Forest Gate to Khongnang Ani Karak has been virtually put under house arrest for the last nine months after armed persons threatened to kill him.
Talking to media persons at a house located near Chamber of Commerce Hospital, Thangal Bazar today, Ch Biren, who is a resident of Chingamakha Chanam Pukhri Mapal informed that he has not been able to venture out after the threat on his life.
Giving a detailed account of the contract works allotted to him, Biren said that two work orders, one for repairing of the road from Koirengei Forest Gate to Khabam Lamkhai at an estimated project cost of Rs 4.80 crores and another for widening of the National Highway from the existing two lane to four lanes from Khabam Lamkhai to Khongnang Ani Karak at an estimated amount of Rs 5,10,66,915 had been allotted to his company M/S Ch Biren Singh.
Commencing from November 28, 2002, the task for widening of the National Highway stretch has to be completed within three years.
After the work has been started expending around Rs 5 lakhs, the proprietor of a brick field at Patsoi made him to sign the special power of attorney for taking over the work with the help of some armed persons, he alleged.
Later he was taken to Sajik Tampak and held captive for five days where the brick field made him to put his signature on a blank stamp paper under duress, Biren disclosed.
Since then the brick field proprietor has taken up the work, he said, adding that he has kept quiet all this while for fear of life from the armed persons.
But when he came to know that the work executed by the brick field proprietor was sub-standard, the special power of attorney was cancelled.
As a result, he has been threatened to be killed without giving any warning over the telephone for the last 9 months, Biren informed.
Biren further said that he was called by the brick field proprietor at his Kongba Bazar resident to discuss refunding of the amount he had already spend in getting the work order, but the brick field proprietor instead made him to sign a form for opening a joint account.
But he did not know in which bank the joint account was opened.
In the meantime, the brick field proprietor allegedly withdrawn Rs 2 crores in collusion with an executive engineer of PWD without his knowledge, he charged.