SHILLONG, NOV 22: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) today demanded the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) to deposit the fund to the state public works department (PWD) for repairing of the single-lane roads in South West Khasi Hills District at the earliest.
Speaking to reporters after meeting the Council’s chief executive member PN Syiem here on Wednesday, KSU chief Lambokstar Marngar said, “We have made it clear to him (Syiem) that the fund should be handover to the PWD for it to take up the repairing of the single-lane roads.”
Earlier last year in a meeting held with the anti-uranium groups and pro two-lane road project groups, the KHADC had first assured to earmark Rs 20 crore from the Rs 133.12 crore special assistance grant sanctioned by the Centre for the year 2015-16.
However, the KHADC’s proposal for seeking permission to take up the repairing work on its own was rejected by the PWD (Roads) in view that the single-lane road from Nongstoin-Wahkaji-Domiasiat-Mawthabah belongs to the department.
Following this, the ruling PDF-led executive committee decided to enhance the MDC shares from Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore to ensure there is no delay in the implementation of the Rs 133.12 crore.
Later when the issue was again raised by the NGOs, the KHADC had conveyed that it had decided to enhance the fund from Rs 20 crore to Rs 25 crore for repairing of the roads in the district adding that the same will be included in the Council’s budget for the year 2016-2017.
Asked, Marngar said that the CEM assured that the fund will immediately be deposited to the PWD once the special assistance grant for the year of 2017-18 is released by the Centre.
Stating that other autonomous district councils (ADCs) in the North East region had already received the central package, he however said there is however a delay on the part of the KHADC to submit the utilization certificates.
“Upon our request to speed up the matter, the CEM had assured us to take necessary steps on this regard,” he said while stating that the union is hoping that the PWD will be able to start the repairing work by March next year.
Reacting to a query, the KSU chief said that the decision to seek clarification on the project was in view that there has been undue delay in implementation of the promises made before the NGOs.
Stating that if the loggerhead between the KHADC and the PWD is allowed to continue, it will only be a disadvantage to the people of the district, he said, “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.”
It may be mentioned here, the KSU and other NGOs have alleged that the proposed upgrading the single-lane roads to double-lane was only to facilitate uranium mining in Mawthabah area, which was reflected in the notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH).
The proposal for the construction of the 68-km two-lane Nongstoin-Wahkajih-Mawthabah road was approved by the Centre on July 5, 2010 at a cost of Rs 470 crore under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for North East (SARDP-NE).
By Our Reporter
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