Blacklist contractors who shoddily repaired roads in WJHD: Advocate

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMay 24, 2022

Kynjaimon Amse a vocal Advocate from East Jaintia Hills District lamented on
deplorable roads condition of West Jaintia Hills District with several potholes along the Jowai By Pass road and along the National Highway connecting Jowai to Shillong.

In a letter to the Deputy Commissioner West Jaintia Hills, Amse informed that the Jowai Bypass is severely damaged in many areas which has affected the smooth movement of vehicles and commuters.

The Light Motor Vehicles in particular are more prone to damage if they travel through the Jowai Bypass as there are big and small potholes everywhere, the advocate said.

He further said the road is no longer safe for movement of vehicles and as such the same needs to be urgently rectified and repaired.

Interestingly, during the month of December-February the Jowai By Pass and Jowai-Shillong Rd has been repaired by the government but it is now in very sad state of affairs as just a few months has passed and the road now is back in bad condition.

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Amse said that this is a matter of great concern and a concern about the quality of the road that was repaired by the PWD contractor.

Because of this annual phenomenon, it is safe and just to say that the PWD contractor who repaired the road did not do it in the proper way and the quality is of great doubt, the letter informed.

He pointed that this not only creates hardship to the general public but also has a serious financial implication on the government as the same road has to be repaired every now and then. Had the contractor built a quality road, we would not have witnessed the regular damage of the road, he added.

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Amse reminded that a few months back in PIL NO. 16 of 2021 in the matter of Kerlang Ksoo V. State of Meghalaya where the government has undertaken to do regular maintenance and repair of the road.

Amse demanded that the Government should immediately undertake repair and maintenance work along the Jowai Bypass road and Shillong-Jowai Road.

It is call upon to take action against the contractor, who has constructed and repaired a bad quality road for the public and that such errant contractor who could not give a quality road should not be given any work for the sake of public interest, the advocate asserted.