Purana Bazaar-Chümoukedima four-lane road project update

Our Reporter
Dimapur, Jan. 19 (EMN): Constant complaints from the public about the inconvenience caused by the ongoing four-lane road construction from Purana Bazaar to Chümoukedima that runs along NH-29 in Dimapur, appears to have pressured the contractor and nodal departments to complete the project at the earliest.

Eastern Mirror contacted the TK Engineering, the construction firm that has taken up the contract, to check the progress of the road stretch.

An official from the construction company informed this newspaper that the set contractual target to achieve by the end of December 2019 was to complete a single lane- 11 kilometres in length from Purana Baazar. However, instead of single lane, they have completed two lanes of six kilometres on each side.

“Instead of completing one lane, we have done two lanes to ease traffic and public woes; the project is scheduled to complete by May 2020,” the official informed.

The official added that the four-lane road construction work between Purana Bazaar and Chümoukedima was delayed due to electricity poles not being cleared and the issue of land compensation along the highway.

A source from the state government also told Eastern Mirror that a period of three months can be extended and if the work is not completed during the period, “liquidated damages” will be imposed on the contractor.

Liquidated damages are damages chargeable against funds due to the contractor by the injured party or owner in the event of late completion.

“Since it is a big project, the fine imposed will also be a large sum,” the source from government said. However, the source added that fine would not be imposed if the reason for delay is genuine.

It may be mentioned that land compensation issue threatened to stall the four-lane road construction work in Purana Bazaar-Chümoukedima area the previous year. The NH-29 Land Owners’ Union (Purana Bazaar to Chümoukedima) submitted a memorandum to the then deputy commissioner of Dimapur expressing discontent over the compensation against the project.

The memorandum stated that constructing the road “by ignoring the rights and interest of the land owners is not justified” and claimed that many commercial buildings were demolished despite the standing order of the High Court. It went on to warn that it would be “compelled to take its own course of action to safeguard the inalienable right of the land owners”.