NEW DELHI, May 14 ? In a classic case of too many cooks spoiling the broth, engagement of 150 road contractors by the State PWD to renovate 100 km stretch of roadwork of the historic Dhodar Ali road has thrown the project behind schedule by over a decade. The State PWD?s practice of distributing works among contractors has raised quite a few eyebrows in the government circle, as even after engaging 150 contractors to renovate 100 km stretch of the road, it has taken the department over a decade to execute only 80 per cent of the work. The road improvement of the Dhodar Ali was sanctioned in 1989. The State PWD is executing the North Eastern Council (NEC) funded project. But 13 years hence the PWD could complete only 80 per cent of the road, leaving the local people of the area high and dry.
A case study of the project conducted by NEC revealed that the project suffered mainly on account of three factors including diversion of funds released for the project by the Assam Government. The issue even came up during the meeting of the Chief Ministers of the North Eastern Region held in Shillong in February, when the NEC made a presentation on the project. According to the Minister for the Department of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER), Arun Shourie, other factor for the delay was change of specification from ordinary district road (single lane) to major district road.
The Minister has in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha informed Dhrupad Borgohain that the NEC has earmarked Rs 9 crore during the current financial year for the project for improving the historical road in various stretches from Debrapar in Jorhat district to Jeypore in Dibrugarh district. The Minister disclosed that the NEC has identified 12 bridges on the various stretches of the Dhodar Ali road for improvement. The bridges are planned to be completed by March 2003. The road stretches on Dhodar Ali from Kumargaon in Golaghat district to Debrapar are also scheduled for completion next March.
However, the small stretch of five km will spill over beyond March 2003 and is rescheduled for completion in 2005. Meanwhile, the CPI MP today demanded adequate sanction of funds for completion of the Rangiya Rail Division project. Making a special mention in the Upper House, Sri Borgohain said that Rangiya station is a profit earning station as revealed by the figures that its gross earnings from passenger and wagon booking in the last financial year was Rs 42,49,60,536 while the expenditure stood at Rs 84 lakh only. Arguing that there was surplus revenue of Rs 41.01 crore, he asserted that funds would not be a problem for setting up the division as additional funds could be spared from the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources.
The MP said that at the time of laying the foundation of the project by the then Minister of State for Railways, Suresh Kalmadi in November 1995, the estimated cost of setting up the division was calculated are Rs 22.01 crore. The ministry had shown a supplementary demand for grant of Rs 13 crore then for the division. A minor portion of the fund was spent on the development of land for the divisional office complex and for other construction works within Railway junction area, he recalled.