Shillong, Nov 22: Succumbing to pressure from the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) has decided to transfer the fund to the state public works department (PWD) for repairing of single-lane roads in South West Khasi Hills District.
This was assured by the KHADC chief executive member, P.N. Syiem during a meeting with the KSU here on Wednesday.
“The CEM has assured that the fund will be immediately deposited with the state PWD (Roads) once the Special Assistance Grant for the year of 2017-18 is released by the Centre,” KSU president Lambokstrwell Marngar said.
While Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in the North East had already received the Central package, the KSU leader however said there has been delay on the part of the KHADC to submit utilization certificates.
The KSU hoped that the State PWD will be able to start the work for repairing the roads in the district in March next year.
The KSU decided to seek clarification from the CEM on the project due to delay in implementing promises made before the NGOs.
He said that the loggerhead between the KHADC and the state PWD should not be a disadvantage to the people of the district.
Last year, during a meeting convened by the KHADC with anti-uranium groups and pro two-lane road project groups, the KHADC had assured to earmark Rs 20 crore from the Rs 133.12 crore special assistance grant sanctioned by the Centre for the year 2015-16.
Later the KHADC decided to enhance the fund from Rs 20 crore to Rs 25 crore for repairing dilapidated roads in the district.
However the state PWD (Roads) rejected the KHADC’s proposal to take up the repairing work on its own since roads from Nongstoin-Wahkaji-Domiasiat-Mawthabah belongs to the department.
The 68-km two-lane road from Nongstoiñ to Mawthabah via Wahkajih was approved by the Centre on July 5, 2010 at Rs 470 crore under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for North East (SARDP-NE).
The KSU and other anti-uranium groups alleged that the proposed construction of double-lane road was to facilitate uranium mining from Mawthabah area, since the same has been reflected in the notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH).