Congress Legislature Party leader Tokheho Yepthomi has revealed that M/s Gayatri-Maytas JV which had undertaken widening of four existing roads: Chakhabama-Zunheboto; Pfutsero-Phek; Mon-Tamlu-Merangkong; Changtongya-Longleng has abandoned works half way.

In a statement, Tokheho said the Rs.1296 crore road widening project sanctioned by the central government under Special Accelerated Road Development Programme (SARDP) had raised hopes among people of the four districts of better road connectivity for all round development.

However, he said the traveling public of Zunheboto and Longleng were faced with untold miseries after works were abandoned halfway.

He pointed out that issue of submission of exorbitant revised estimates by the R&B department to the central ministry of Road Transport & Highways “has sounded alarm bells”.

Tokheho said the exorbitant revised rates spoke of the state government’s “inefficiency or an action in collaborating with the contractor to siphon off more amount of money while stalling the project of frivolous grounds.”

He demanded that if the state R&B department and the contractor were unable to proceed ahead with work and maintenance, then it should be handed back to the BRO. 

In the light of the crisis, Tokheho demanded clarification from the R&B department on the following:
1) Comparative estimate on road construction in other hilly regions of the country;

2) Reasons for abandoning the work halfway even before excavation was completed; withdrawal of entire machineries from sites and disposing them off at throwaway prices;

3) Reasons for proposing exorbitant revised estimate when not even a single kilometer was completed and why road excavation was done on existing road and not new cutting/excavation;

4) Terms of agreement between state government and Gayatri-Maytas while handing over roads to the contractor.
He said the contractor was supposed to be responsible for excavation and maintenance of the entire stretch of the road till completion before handing it back to the state government.

Tokheho demanded that the R&B department fix responsibility on erring officials responsible for creating the mess and also to recall Gayatri-Maytas to restart work on “war footing” to clear and maintain road presently in deplorable condition.

He said the overall road condition reflected the tall claims of the NPF-led DAN government of its “past nine years of misrule.”