Tura: Almost 6 years since construction on the ill-fated road between Tura and Dalu began, work on the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL) project is still far from completion.
Since the start of the project in early 2018, the NHIDCL had only finished 55% of the construction work till the filing of this report.
The Tura–Dalu road, despite being part of National Highway-51, was one of the worst roads in Meghalaya, so much so that commuting on this 50-km stretch earlier required at least two hours. The road was not only extremely narrow but was covered mostly with potholes throughout the stretch.
While a loud cheer went up in the town of Dalu after the NHIDCL announced the beginning of the project at a cost of over Rs 500 crore, the same has now turned into a literal smirk with no end to the project in sight.
The project was initially awarded to one Manoranjan Brahma, a contractor from Assam. The company was found extremely slow in its work, leading to complaints from various quarters. Not only was the company awarded the route between Tura and Dalu, another 10-km stretch on NH–51 between Tura and Rongram was also awarded to them.
The contractor initially quoted the COVID-pandemic for the delay in the progress of the project. However, even after the pandemic, progress on the road continued to remain slow.
With the original contractor unable to continue work for unknown reasons, another company, ARSS, was roped in about a year ago to complete the project. While progress is now being seen on the road, most still feel that enough is not being done to ensure the road is completed quickly.
“We only took over last year and are working extremely hard to complete the road at the earliest. However, complications have arisen as some section of the road has begun to sink. An NHIDCL team was here earlier and took samples of these areas for research. If we get another month, there will be drastic progress made on the road,” claimed an officer of ARSS when contacted.
He further added that land acquisition is yet to be completed as some people have approached Court due to the quantum of compensation paid by the state. In other cases, many landowners have taken the compensation but have not vacated their land to allow for construction. He said that the problem being faced is between the 85-90 km section – in about 4 km.
“We are making efforts and wherever we are able to, we have progressed. Hopefully, the road will get ready very soon,” he added.
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However, what has to be noted is the fact that the Tura – Rongram section has hardly been touched, and given the complexities involved, the project completion could take eons.
NHIDCL representatives, however, could not be contacted for comment on the issue.
“How can a national highway project actually take so long when it is only about 50 km in length? Blame has to go to everyone who is involved in the project including the department, the contractor as well as the government for not paying heed to the needs of the people. The NHIDCL also should be questioned as to why it has allowed such huge delays in the project when it could have been done within 2 years. It’s really baffling and we are the ones suffering for their carelessness,” said a Dalu resident.
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