Arunachal group to meet Gadkari to cancel highway contract

A delegation of the Wancho community from Arunachal Pradesh is all set to meet union Minister Nitin Gadkari to seek cancellation of a tender given to a Gujarat-based company to construct a 47.12-km highway in their state.

The community leaders are likely to meet union Road Transport and Highway minister Gadkari on October 8.

The community has alleged that Monte Carlo company was given the tender to construct the Longding-Kanubari trans highway early this year. Instead of carrying out the work itself it has sub-contracted the work to a local company named Nabam Tulon, months before the work was to start.

"We want real development in Longding as we have suffered for long. If Monte Carlo company is unable to execute the construction of the Kanubari-Longding highway then why did it participate in the tendering process?" said Nokchai Boham, head of Wancho community ahead of their likely meet with Gadkari.

"Why is it handing over the work now to a local company close to Chief Minister Nabam Tuki. We will meet highway minister Nitin Gadkari soon," he added.

The community has also expressed disappointment that many projects under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) being executed by contractors from outside the district have deprived the local contractors of this opportunity and that the quality of the work is often compromised.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Ramesh Negi said: "The Arunachal government has only a role in the land acquisition. As the tender was given by the central government's PSU, so it is for them to deal with it."

A.K. Srivastava, executive engineer of Monte Carlo, said: "Since I joined this company, the work was given on sub-contract to Nabam Tulon for the construction of the highway. Whatever the norm is, as of now, the work will be carried on by the Nabam Tulon company only."

Following the issue, the Wancho People's Committee on Friday prevented the survey team of Nabam Tulon company, who arrived in Longding to start the planning of the highway construction.