CSWO lambast PWD over pathetic roads

SHILLONG, JUNE 19: The Civil Society Women’s Organization (CSWO) on Sunday lambasted the state PWD department over the pathetic conditions of the roads across the state.

“The state PWD seems not to be bothered about the conditions of the roads in Meghalaya, which is practically like an insult to the public, as crores of public funds is pumped into this department, but roads are left neglected,” CSWO president Agnes Kharshiing said in a statement.

She said this has caused great difficulties to commuters, school children, ambulances who have to rush patients to hospitals, officials, especially the judiciary and the police who have to travel between different courts and during emergencies. The bad roads lead to slow driving, causing delay, where four hours is needed for a journey that takes only two hours, due to horrible road conditions.

She said this is clear cheating and neglect of duty by the authorities of this department, which also leads to corruption and connivance with the contractors as there is no follow up by the engineers assigned to look after the roads.

Stating that the bad roads also give a bad impression about the way development funds are being utilized, Kharshiing said, “It is mandatory that the wear and tear of the road should be maintained by the contractor yet according to RTI hardly any contractor is black listed or show-caused even when the conditions of the roads all over the State are pathetic,” adding “This clearly indicates that in areas where the roads are bad and full of potholes, the engineers assigned and paid a big salary by the state have not performed and they just blindly issued the Completion Certificates.”

She informed that the CSWO had earlier written to the Chief Engineer PWD Roads about issuing immediate direction to all, engineers, Sub Divisional Engineers (PWD eoads) to look into all bad roads and black listing of erring contractors, but this seems to have been ignored.

Meanwhile, the CSWO strongly urge the Chief Engineer (PWD) of the state of Meghalaya to act on such errant officers and post honest engineers who perform or else he will have to face a PIL in the High Court for neglect of government duty, cheating and corruption.-By Our Reporter