Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 03 2010:
After getting first hand account of condition of NH-53, Director General of the Border Roads Organisation, Lt Gen Mathani has assured that development of the highway would be completed by 2013 .
An official source informed that the BRO DG arrived here last week and personally assessed existing condition of the Imphal-Jiribam highway.
Returning back from the inspection tour, Lt Gen Mathani held a meeting with Commissioner (Works) Ram Muivah where he proposed suspension of vehicular movement along the highway for a week so that repairing work could be initiated to ameliorate difficulties being faced by transporters along the route.
The BRO DG came to Imphal to initiate repairing of NH 53 following the decision of the Union Government to entrust the BRO in charge of the same highway in the aftermath of the State Cabinet decision and subsequent lobbying to hand over the responsibility of NH 53 to the State PWD.
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The DG assured that Imphal-Jiribam highway can be fully developed in the next three years.
Notably, contractors sent by the State Government to repair the highway in accordance to the State Cabinet decision to take over the highway have been pulled back in the wake of the Union Government's decision to keep the highway under BRO for some more time.
With the condition of the highway highly dilapidated between Barak and Kambiron, many loaded trucks have been stranded for more than ten days now.
On the other hand, officials of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department led by Commissioner P Vaiphei together with FCI officials made a spot assessment for construction of a godown of 5000 metric ton capacity for the department and another FCI godown of capacity 10,000 metric tonnes at Jiribam last month.
Meanwhile, repairing of rail tracks for transportation of rice by train till the FCI godown at Jiribam has also begun, informed an official source.
In addition to the FCI godown of 2500 metric ton capacity, CAF &PD has a 1000 metric ton capacity godown at Jiribam, added the source.