NEW DELHI:
Congress MP Vincent Pala has informed the Parliament that in spite of the approval given by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on the Nongstoin and Dkhiah road projects, “Work for both these critical roads have been stalled.”
Participating during a discussion on Demand for Grant relating to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for the year 2022-23, Pala said that there are some proposed roads in his constituency which have been approved in principle but stalled later on.
“I have got a letter from the Union Minister that the road has been approved in-principle,” he said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
“I have two very important roads that is from Nongstoin, it goes up to the border of Bangladesh and from Nongstoin, it goes right up to Guwahati to connect this road. This road has been approved in-principle but stalled…The other road is from National Highway Dkhiah upto Halflong to connect Meghalaya and Halflong. These roads were approved in-principle to be considered as national highway. That also has been stalled. So, I will be happy if you can, at least, clarify to my people why this has been stalled. Is there any scarcity of funds?” said Pala. The incumbent MP during his speech also countered the
BJP-led central government’s criticism against the UPA regime.
“There has always been a comparison between the UPA regime and the present regime. But many people do not know that there is a change in the formula for calculations of the highway construction system from a linear system to a length kilometre system. For example, during the UPA Government, if a 10-kilomtre road was constructed, whether it was a 2-lane or a 4-lane, it was a 10-kilometre construction. But in the present system, a 10-kilometre road is constructed for 2-lanes, they say it is 20 kilometres construction; and for 6-lanes, they say (the government), it is 60 kilometres construction,” Pala pointed out.