IMPHAL, Nov 14: In response to the appeal of Works Minister K Ranjit and MLAs of Senapati district, the Senapati District Students’ Association (SDSA) has agreed to relax the economic blockade on NH-39 temporarily for six days. On the other hand 34 loaded trucks and 56 tankers crossed Mao gate today afternoon. The student body, however, refused to lift the blockade completely which has been in force since November 1.
The SDSA acceded to relax the blockade for six days after a four hour long meeting at Senapati indoor stadium today. The meeting was attended by Works Minister K Ranjit, MLAs M Thorii, K Raina, Doukhomang Khongsai, PWD officials, president of the Truck Owners’ Welfare Association H Ranjit, secretary Y Lukeshwar, secretary of Manipur Drivers’ Welfare Association Tomba and representatives of SDSA.
According to the agreement, the economic blockade will be relaxed till midnight of November 19.
On their part, Works Minister K Ranjit and the Senapati MLAs maintained that six days relaxation is too short. Even as the Minister and the MLAs strongly urged the student representatives to relax the blockade till December, the student leaders refused to budge. Rather they asked the Government representatives to start the highway repairing work during the period of blockade relaxation in a manner that would be satisfactory to the public .
The student body asserted that they will call off the blockade only after seeing progress of the work. In case the highway development work does not make due progress, the blockade will be reimposed, they maintained.
To this stance of the SDSA, Works Minister K Ranjit said that the economic blockade being imposed to repair the highway has been ironically impeding highway development work as materials including bitumen required for repairing road could not be brought in.
Asserting that economic blockade is not a solution to the problem, Ranjit urged the student leaders to relax the blockade for a longer period.
Conceding that the condition of NH-39 has deteriorated to a pitiable state, Ranjit explained that several factors like non-execution of the highway repairing work after it was sanctioned in 2004-05, abduction of officials when the repairing work was getting started and prohibition of the repairing work by some elements demanding Rs one lakh, all contributed to the inordinate delay in repairing the highway resulting in the present pathetic condition.
Quoting Central Government guidelines present pathetic condition.
Quoting Central Government guidelines that no further amount can be sanctioned until utilisation certificate of the amount sanctioned earlier is furnished, the Works Minister informed that the Department has been making all out efforts to utilise the previously sanctioned amount within the month of December.
He further conveyed that the Chief Minister has talked with the Union Transport Minister at New Delhi on improvising NH 39. For repairing Senapati-Mao stretch, JCBs have been pressed into service from today. Necessary actions have also been initiated to fill all potholes that exist on the highway between Imphal and Senapati, Ranjit said.
Informing that the Government has made plans to hand over the maintenance work of the highway to either BRO or a company, Ranjit reiterated his appeal to lift the blockade in the interest of the public.
Observing that frequent blockades along NH 39 caused severe hardships to poor people, MLA Thorii, MLA Raina and MLA Doukhomang also joined in the Works Minister’s appeal to lift the economic blockade. They also called upon all to cooperate in the Government’s effort to repair the highway Saying that the Government has started the highway repairing work, president of the All Manipur Truck Owners’ Association H Ranjit also appealed for suspension of the blockade in the interest of the suffering people.
Notwithstanding the appeals from the Works Minister and MLAs to lift the blockade completely, the SDSA leaders asked the Government representatives to show work progress during the six days of relaxation.
Clarifying that the blockade is imposed as they have no other effective alternative, the SDSA appealed to all concerned not to make any disturbance in highway development work and also to stop deduction of certain percentages from highway development fund.
TSE
The SDSA acceded to relax the blockade for six days after a four hour long meeting at Senapati indoor stadium today. The meeting was attended by Works Minister K Ranjit, MLAs M Thorii, K Raina, Doukhomang Khongsai, PWD officials, president of the Truck Owners’ Welfare Association H Ranjit, secretary Y Lukeshwar, secretary of Manipur Drivers’ Welfare Association Tomba and representatives of SDSA.
According to the agreement, the economic blockade will be relaxed till midnight of November 19.
On their part, Works Minister K Ranjit and the Senapati MLAs maintained that six days relaxation is too short. Even as the Minister and the MLAs strongly urged the student representatives to relax the blockade till December, the student leaders refused to budge. Rather they asked the Government representatives to start the highway repairing work during the period of blockade relaxation in a manner that would be satisfactory to the public .
The student body asserted that they will call off the blockade only after seeing progress of the work. In case the highway development work does not make due progress, the blockade will be reimposed, they maintained.
To this stance of the SDSA, Works Minister K Ranjit said that the economic blockade being imposed to repair the highway has been ironically impeding highway development work as materials including bitumen required for repairing road could not be brought in.
Asserting that economic blockade is not a solution to the problem, Ranjit urged the student leaders to relax the blockade for a longer period.
Conceding that the condition of NH-39 has deteriorated to a pitiable state, Ranjit explained that several factors like non-execution of the highway repairing work after it was sanctioned in 2004-05, abduction of officials when the repairing work was getting started and prohibition of the repairing work by some elements demanding Rs one lakh, all contributed to the inordinate delay in repairing the highway resulting in the present pathetic condition.
Quoting Central Government guidelines present pathetic condition.
Quoting Central Government guidelines that no further amount can be sanctioned until utilisation certificate of the amount sanctioned earlier is furnished, the Works Minister informed that the Department has been making all out efforts to utilise the previously sanctioned amount within the month of December.
He further conveyed that the Chief Minister has talked with the Union Transport Minister at New Delhi on improvising NH 39. For repairing Senapati-Mao stretch, JCBs have been pressed into service from today. Necessary actions have also been initiated to fill all potholes that exist on the highway between Imphal and Senapati, Ranjit said.
Informing that the Government has made plans to hand over the maintenance work of the highway to either BRO or a company, Ranjit reiterated his appeal to lift the blockade in the interest of the public.
Observing that frequent blockades along NH 39 caused severe hardships to poor people, MLA Thorii, MLA Raina and MLA Doukhomang also joined in the Works Minister’s appeal to lift the economic blockade. They also called upon all to cooperate in the Government’s effort to repair the highway Saying that the Government has started the highway repairing work, president of the All Manipur Truck Owners’ Association H Ranjit also appealed for suspension of the blockade in the interest of the suffering people.
Notwithstanding the appeals from the Works Minister and MLAs to lift the blockade completely, the SDSA leaders asked the Government representatives to show work progress during the six days of relaxation.
Clarifying that the blockade is imposed as they have no other effective alternative, the SDSA appealed to all concerned not to make any disturbance in highway development work and also to stop deduction of certain percentages from highway development fund.
TSE
No comments:
Post a Comment