24 projects in hills, valley gets just two

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Oct 31: Out of the total 26 highway development projects imple- mented in Manipur from 2020-21 to 2023-24, 24 were executed by NHIDCL while the State PWD executed only two.
Significantly the NHIDCL comes under the Central Government while PWD comes under the State Government.
Again out of the 24 projects implemented by NHIDCL during the four consecutive financial years,  not a single one of them was implemented in the valley.
All the 24 projects handled by NHIDCL were executed in the hill districts. The share of the valley districts was limited to the only two projects handled by the State PWD.
The total sanctioned amount for the 24 projects handled by NHIDCL was Rs 8541.97 crore while the amount sanctioned for the two projects executed by the State PWD was Rs 351.08 crore.
The agency charge for the 24 projects executed by NHIDCL in hill areas from 2020-21 to 2023-24 was 256.25 crore at 3 per cent.
The agency charge ( 3 per cent) for the two projects handled by PWD was Rs 10.53 crore, sources informed.
In another word, NHIDCL was able to earn Rs 256.25  crore from agency charge alone while the State PWD had to be content with just 10.53 crore.
Of the total length of National Highways in the State, 82 per cent are being handled by NHIDCL while 18 per cent are under the care of the State PWD, said the sources.
With the lion’s share of the National Highways entrusted to the NHIDCL, PWD’s National Highway Division is dying a slow death since BJP came to power at the Centre. It is said that the National Highway Division is now on the verge of extinction.
Entrusting a fair share of the National Highway works can revive the State PWD and let it thrive.
Apart from earning agency charge, National highway projects would hone and enhance the skill of PWD engineers. Skill development of PWD engineers is far greater if they are entrusted with National Highways works rather than inter-village roads.
In addition to denying engineers the opportunity for skill development, keeping National Highway projects away from the State PWD has been robbing newly passed out engineers and labourers of employment opportunities, said the sources.
In most other States, projects sanctioned by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways are shared between NHIDCL and the respective State PWDs at the ratio of 50:50, said the sources.
The general expectation that National Highway projects would be completed speedily if they are entrusted to NHIDCL has turned out to be untrue. Likewise, the expectation for better quality control has also turned out to be a misplaced expectation, according to the sources.
Highlighting the current state of NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam highway) and Yainganpokpi-Finch Corner section of NH-202 (Imphal-Ukhrul highway), the sources maintained that NHIDCL is not better than the State PWD in any aspect.
When the State PWD executes a project, they do with a sense that the work is their own but NHIDCL sees all highway development works as just projects and nothing more, the sources added.