Minister's wrath falls on three EEs
Source: The Sangai Express / S Singlianmang Guite

Lamka, April 19: IFC Minister N Biren who has been camping at Khuga Dam work site since yesterday directly over-seeing the construction work has transferred three tardy Executive Engineers who were in-charge of the Spillway, Canal and Main Head.

Talking to this correspondent at the dam's Inspection Bungalow today Biren said, "the Prime Minister is very much willing to come down to inaugurate the dam, that is why I am personally looking after the construction work."

FC Minister N Biren scans the Khuga Multi-purpose Project site through the binocular

The Minister along with two of his cabinet colleagues and an MLA visited the project yesterday, but his resolve to show the people that they were upto something and his desire to boost the morale of the worker forced him to let his colleagues let him alone.

"I am here to show that we want to do atleast something, we want to do something concrete.

Because of the prevailing law and order situation the engineers, staff and the labourers have a fear psychosis.

I'm staying here to instill a sense of security in their minds," he said.

Determined to set the Prime Minister a date with the dam, the Minister is very much aware that he needs a complete 45 days of non-stop labour to do so.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for Khuga Multipurpose Project on October 1986 when he was the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.

Twenty six years down the line and after several crores of rupees have been spent on the project, Dr Manmohan Singh has reportedly expressed keen interest to see the dam completed while he is the Prime Minister.

'I'll be in that tent till 11 pm and supervise the work,' he said pointing to a tiny tent not far from the dam's spillway.

Seeing today's progress, the IFC Minister sounded positive.

If this pace is not disturbed anymore, then definitely the deadline set for completion of the dam can be achieved, he exuded "We do write lots in the editorials, lots in the news but nobody pays any heed, what is the use if I do the same after entering politics," he said apparently referring to his past profession and on how often their voices were disregarded by the Government.

"We want to make a change and the change has to start from ourselves," maintained the Minister who dared treat on the path unsoiled by his predecessors.

Now with the IFC Minister camping at the work site, engineers and labourers have to work day and night at Khuga dam amidst the deafening sounds of machines and man to ensure the stipulated timeframe is met.