Manipur Work Minister Govindas Konthoujam on Sunday instructed to immediately stop the construction work of Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) drain on both sides of the stretch from Oriental College gate to Keithelmanbi under National Highway-37 (Imphal-Jiribam road).
During an inspection with MLA Sapam Kunjakeswor Singh and a team of media personnel, minister Govindas instructed the workers to stop the ongoing work and told the workers to inform the authority concerned or in-charge of the construction work to personally meet him.
Speaking on the sidelines of the inspection, Works minister said land value here in Manipur is more expensive than that of Mumbai and wasting about eight metres of land on either side of the national highway would deliver a huge impact to the government as well as the public.
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Govindas also recalled that the ministry had instructed to construct the national highway having the width of two lanes. However, the construction for the RCC drain could have taken up on the extreme end of both sides, he added.
He further said that Chief Minister N Biren Singh had also been mounting pressure on the Union minister concerned for the upgradation of NH-37 to a four-lane highway.
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The entire RCC drain construction work on both sides of the national highway has to be stopped immediately as NHIDCL is attempting to speed up the construction in order to get their finance bill faster without even considering whether the construction may affect the people or not in the future.
When a government works to bring progress, public vigilance is highly necessary, he said.
The people should either raise their voice if they are not satisfied or knock on the door of the government for the welfare of the society, he added.
If the public were vigilant, then the state government would not have arrived at the decision that was taken today, Govindas asserted.
The construction of the said RCC drain is being implemented by the National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
