“Guite road neglected”

From Kaimuanthang
Lamka, Aug 27 : "I dont want the Guite road to be a playing ground for those money hungry and corrupted contractors who have never given an iota of concern for the people and their development" said the minister of power, soil & hort, Sc & Tech T Phungzathang during a press conference held at his residence at Ccpur .
The minister further said to due bad road conditions and lack of other development infrastructures residents of people to the areas Thanlon have been bypassed by development of the modern days .
Even after the central government approved of the handing over the Guite road from Singngat to Tuivai since the year 2006, why has it not been handed over to the BRTF he questioned while stating further that the 600 numkbers of manpower demanded by the BRTF are made ready.
The road being constructed with an amount of Rs 22 crores so far is so bad and deplorable that is questionable as to how as to how the money were spent while maintaining most of the contractors are non - locals of the district excepting some few people he said.
Stating his disappointment over the name given to Guite road as that of Singngat - Sinzawl road officially he said it should be called Guite road while pointing out his resolved to fight to the central govt level with all his might so to ensure that the road construction is really handed over to the BRTF for the sake of good road communication for that matter development of the neglected areas .
In this connection he said with all documents he will pressurise the central govt to hand over to the BRTF while calling all students union and the local publics to extend support in the ventures.
Regarding to the statement made by K Ranjit minister Works on the floor of the house recently he said he was not aware of the hending over of the road to the BRTF he said the statement is an immature and misleading to the house and the public as it was known to one and all that central approved and even the state cabinet has apporved construction works in favour of the BRTF.
He went on to say that Guite road has been the lifeline of the the people
Regarding power development he stated that through the schemes of RGJDYS , APDRP and others steps are on to provide proper light and electricity to all villages within the district apart from other parts of the state.
He said another 132 KV will be installed at the Khengjang sub-station and distribution line will be avail of up to all the localities in the town within this year so.(IFP)

Tonsing assures
S Singlianmang Guite
Lamka, Aug 27: In an un-precedented development for the aggrieving masses, particularly the student community, who have been consistently calling on the state government to entrust the BRO in constructing Guite Road, Power Minister Phungzathang Tonsing to-day assured that he will per- sonally see to it that the will of the people is respected and the unfailing requests of various student bodies is met.
In a statement, which can be interpreted as an imme-diate upshot on his recent trip along the battered Guite Road, Tonsing, also the mi-nister in-charge of Chura- chandpur pledged to fully back the ZSF and CDSU in their demand for the BRO to resume their work along the highway.
Tonsing initially made his statement at YPA Hall, New Lamka while launching a musical album of the 'Dove Quartette' and repeated the same during a press conference at his residence here.
'I have already taken a firm decision on my own that the BRTF should be entrusted in maintaining the Guite Road, and I will fully back the students community on their insistence for the BRO in this,' Tonsing told the press conference. He also expresses his concern on the Singngat to Sinzawl tag officials usually made when they referred to the Guite Road.
When asked for his comment on Works Minister K Ranjit's alleged remark in regards to Guite Road during the recent assembly sitting, Tonsing, also a cabinet minister said the remarks his colleague made were 'immature' and 'misleading to the house as well as to the people.'
'The Cabinet Decision to hand over construction of Guite Road to the BRO was adopted in 2006, and I have personally pursued the case to the concern ministry. Evidences were still with me and I can always produce it,' he said.
Despite his insistent on a pro BRO stand on the Guite Road issue, Tonsing's statement today was the first open and public statement he made on the issue since the cabinet decision in 2006.
The Power minister also highlighted the varied initiates adopted by the department to better regulate power supply in the state and the district in particular. 'Please stop identifying me as a power minister, whose power is gone soon after I left you,' he lightheartedly joked to the media, who were often critical on the power situation. 'I will also vigorously crack down on the schemes taken up under Horticulture and ensures that befitting action is taken to any swindler,' he adds.(TSE) 

UG hand likely to cripple road works

IMPHAL, Aug 27: Al-though the North Eastern Council (NEC) had sanc-tioned an amount of about Rs 82 crores for construc-tion of the 127 km long Shinghat-Shingjol-Tuivai Road, there is strong ap-prehension that around Rs 60 crores would be forfeited following undue interfe-rence from a UG group which is a signatory of the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement.
According to an official source from the Works Department, in December 2005 NEC sanctioned about Rs 82 crores for the purpose of construction work inclu-ding culvert, retaining wall, drainage and expansion along the 127 km long Shinghat-Shingjol-Tuivai Road. Out of this total san-ctioned amount, NEC had already released Rs 22 crores.
Along with submission of the utilisation certificate for the released amount, the State Government has been making efforts to ensure re-lease of the remaining fund through invitation of tender over the last 2/3 years. But none of the contractors res-ponded to the tender notice after a UG group which is also a signatory of SoO has threatened them from ack-nowledging the tender notice.
There have also been past instances in which the UG group in question de-tained or tried to set on fire JCB machines that Works Department had provided for clearing landslides along the road connecting Imphal and Aizawl.
In the latest instance too, the SoO signatory tried to set on fire JCB machine which had been despatched for repairing works of the road ahead of the Power Minister's recent visit to Songtal in connection with inauguration of a Biomass Gasifier Power Plant, the source disclosed.
Earlier a major district road, the State Government had upgraded the Shinghat-Shingjol-Tuivai Road to the level of a State Highway and a proposal has already been submitted to the Go-vernment of India for fur- ther upgradation as a Na-tional Highway. To ensure early approval of the propo-sal, the State Government has also established com-munication with the Mizo- ram Government for exer-ting pressure on the Gover-nment of India jointly.
Being an important route, the State Govt has also been trying its best to improve the condition of the road. But due to interfe-rence of the SoO signatory, the remaining amount of Rs 60 crores to be received from NEC is likely to be forfeited, the source expressed.
The construction of the road had been taken over by the State Government from BRO although some organisations in Churacha-ndpur district insist that the task be handed over to BRO. Whether responsibility be given to the BRO or not de-pends on political decision. Even if the BRO is assigned the task, the State Govern-ment has to complete the works already started, the source explained.(TSE)