EMN
Dimapur, December 8
The Nagaland Contractors’ & Suppliers’ Union (NCSU) has appealed to the Centre to change modalities in awarding contract works under NH for Four Laning of Dimapur-Kohima road.
The NCSU in a representation to Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari demanded a break up in the present contract work package into job wise so that local contractors can qualify for the project.
“The NCSU earnestly request your high authority to kindly fulfill your commitment to break up one out of the three projects in order to see the workmanship of the local contractors in view of the fact that the SARDP Phase I in Nagaland by the Maytas & Gayatri (JV) was a total failure,” the representation said. The NCSU however warned that in the event of non- fulfillment of their demand, it will resort to agitation by launching total bandh on NH 29 Dimapur-Kohima road.
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“The NCSU is grateful for the assurance you had given on 30th June and lst July 2015 at Guwahati, Assam, to accommodate local contractors in awarding contract works in the ongoing huge projects in the North Eastern Region in the presence of Chief Minister, Meghalaya, Union Minister, Kiren Rijiju and Sarbananda Sonoval, MORTH officers, all PWD ministers of the Northeastern states and contractors unions of the region.”
“However, when the tender for construction of Four Laning of Dimapur -Kohima road, Nagaland was floated by the National Highway & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDLC) with the date fixed on 06-11-2015 for Bid submission closing date, the assurance given by you was not complied with, thereby, denied the opportunity to the local contractors to even participate in the tender process as the tender value is too huge for the local contractors to qualify. No matter how efficient local contractors may be, there were no huge project in the State of Nagaland in the past and as such, the local contractors could not get requisite criteria to qualify tender of such a huge project.”
“The NCSU had submitted a representation dated 29 October 2015 to your esteemed office to keep the above, referred tender in abeyance till alternative arrangement are made. Accordingly, the tender was postponed to 18-11-2015 for Bid submission closing date. On the 3rd of November, 2015 when you had laid foundation stone for construction of Four Laning of Dimapur -Kohima road, the NCSU is grateful that you had earlier given your assurance that local contractors would be made eligible for the contract works of huge projects and the same was repeatedly assured at the Raj Bhavan Kohima on the same evening.”
The NCSU said, that without any change of the earlier tender terms and conditions, the tender for the same work was again postponed to November 30 for Bid submission closing date and lastly it was postponed to December 15 for Bid submission closing date without any alteration of the earlier tender terms and conditions.
