Union Home Secretary RK Singh reviews Imphal-Jiri road, assesses Rail project
BRO told to submit report card every 3 months
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 25 2012: Union Home Secretary RK Singh has reportedly reviewed the progress of the Imphal-Jiribam road development work besides assessing the status of the Jiri-Tupul-imphal rail project.

According to an informed source, the home Secretary studied the progress of the said works at a review meeting convened by him at New Delhi on April 24 .

Consequent to the review meeting, authorities of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to whom the Imphal-Jiribam road development work has been assigned, has been advised by the Secretary to submit progress report to the Ministry every three months.

It is said that the latest directive to the BRO was issued by the Union Secretary after perusing a report handed over to him based on a joint inspection of the Imphal-Jiribam route by officials of the BRO and State's Public Works Department on April 14 and 15 .

During the review meeting attended by the State's Chief Secretary DS Poonia, the BRO's Director General and top officials of the Transport Ministry focus was reportedly on the dilapidated condition of the Highway over a stretch of about 58 kilometres out of the total of 222 kms route.

The successful trial run of an engine train on the Jiri-Tupul track in March

It also had a lengthy deliberation on the BRO unlikely to succeed in maintaining the highway stretch to a motorable condition during the monsoon, disclosed the source.

The joint inspection report is said to have pointed out in clear terms that the road stretch at nungba area (Km 120-125) is in the worst condition even though necessary sanction has been made for development/maintenance of road between Nungba and Barak.

Similarly about two kilometres toward Jiribam from Barak absence of even a kutcha drainage system has been highlighted in the report which also termed the said portion as deplorable.

In the same vein the highway section in between kms 147-150 reportedly assigned to ABC India Limited and the Kaimai portion entrusted to Gautam Construction Company came under scathing remarks in the joint inspection report which however described the route from km 151-155 entrusted to Nidhi Enterprises as vastly improved.

The report recommended increase in the number of labourers from the present strength of 620, informed the source while adding that after detailed assessment of the joint report, the union home Secretary advised the BRO representatives to assist vehicles plying on the Imphal-Jiri road during the rainy season.

Progress of work for the Imphal-Jiribam rail project and its overall security aspect also figured prominently at the review meeting, said the source.

Meanwhile, a high level meeting held at the office of Directorate of Transport today discussed the report of the two-day joint inspection.

The meeting attended by DIG (Range-I) of Manipur Police, Chief Engineer of Northern Frontier Railways, Transport Director, Deputy Director (Transport), Superintending Engineer and Assistant Engineer of State's PWD and two engineers of the BRO decided to initiate relevant process for submitting a report about progress of work on the Imphal-Jiribam road development to the Gauhati High Court, under whose recent directive authorities concerned have been asked to accelerate the work.

The report of the joint inspection is likely to be forwarded to the Court in a day or two, a source informed.