“lost all confidence in NHIDCL’s ability to deliver durable infrastructure”
Tura, May 1: Garo civil society activists have urged Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to stop the proposed transfer of the NH-217 (Dudhnai-Baghmara-Dalu) highway project to the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), alleging poor execution, false completion claims and lack of accountability in South Garo Hills.
In a letter sent to the Union Minister dated April 30, social activist Greneth M. Sangma said the people of South Garo Hills had “lost all confidence in NHIDCL’s ability to deliver durable infrastructure.”
The letter objected to the proposal to shift the NH-217 project from the State National Highway Division to NHIDCL, stating that several ongoing and completed road projects executed by the agency were either substandard or incomplete despite being officially reported as finished.
Referring to the Tura-Dalu stretch of NH-217, the activists alleged that official progress reports did not match the actual condition on the ground.
“As residents and eye-witnesses, we state categorically that the ground reality contradicts these reports. Large portions remain incomplete or poorly executed, yet they are being treated as finished in administrative records,” the letter stated.
The representation also raised concerns over the condition of the Shillong-Baghmara road, claiming that the road surface deteriorated rapidly soon after construction.
“The materials and methods used by NHIDCL-contracted firms clearly do not withstand the heavy rainfall and terrain of the Garo Hills, leading to a massive waste of public exchequer,” the letter said.
The activists further expressed concern over major infrastructure components, including the Dainadubi-Darugiri expansion and the proposed 29-km Tura bypass project, warning that transferring the works to NHIDCL could worsen connectivity problems in the region.
“Handing these critical components over to NHIDCL, given their track record with the Tura-Dalu and Shillong-Baghmara roads, will result in further ‘paper-only’ completions that leave our district disconnected and our economy stifled,” the representation stated.
The group urged the Union Ministry to halt the transfer of the NH-217 project to NHIDCL, retain the project under the State NH Division for better local monitoring, and order a high-level inquiry into alleged false completion claims and poor durability of roads in South Garo Hills.
“We seek infrastructure that is built with integrity and durability, rather than the substandard work and negligence we are currently witnessing,” the activists added.
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 highway project to the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), alleging poor execution, false completion claims and lack of accountability in South Garo Hills.){kind=link}