The Joint Action Committee of the Wokha Village Youth Organisation has said that the inspection of the ongoing construction work at NH61 from the stretch of 72.40 km to 83 Km in Wokha Village revealed several inconsistencies and discrepancies at 106 different locations and appealed the Deputy Commissioner of the district for immediate attention on the issues.
Given the concerns, the Joint Action Committee Wokha Village suggested suspending further construction until the issues are rectified.
An inspection along NH 61 in the village jurisdiction was conducted by the Joint Action Committee, the District Administration, concerned department, and Contractor (ITC Infra India) on 20 May 2023.
The committee in its report to the DC stated that the government had disbursed Rs 18 crore as compensation to landowners, but the recent inspection had revealed ‘instances of potential irregularities in the compensation estimates provided to the landowners, suggesting possible duplication and forger.’
It informed that some beneficiaries, even after accepting the compensation, have built structures dangerously close to or encroaching upon the pavements on NH 61. Whereas ‘several compensated lands remained untouched which brings the validity and integrity of the compensation process into question,’ it added.
According to the action committee, the inspection further revealed that while some land owners encroached on the right of way (ROW), the contractor also seemed to have taken advantage of the situation, constructing the pavement in an undulating or winding pattern.
‘This results in an irregular alignment more reminiscent of a village road than the smooth, straight alignment expected of a National Highway,’ it stated.
All these raises doubts about the intended use of the acquired land and the effectiveness of the compensation agreement, the youth of Wokha village said in its communique. Therefore, the committee urged the DC to direct ITC Infra India, the contractor, to utilise the compensated land as intended, to correct the pavement alignment, and to reconstruct the substandard breast walls, retaining Walls and culverts as appealed before.
It also asserted that ‘the practice of subletting to a second party should cease immediately as it contributes to the evident poor quality of work.’ The relocation of utility (Electric/Telecom) poles also needs to be addressed within the stipulated date, it said.
The committee expressed its disappointment at the negligence by the District Administration and PWD (NID) officials in clearing all occupied spaces along the ROW. ‘This negligence suggests one of the two possibilities; either the effected landowners did not receive full compensation, or there is a more complex conspiracy at play,’ it stated.
It also served the DC’s office an ultimatum to remove all encroachments on the ROW in 20 days.
Read more: Wokha district admin inspects construction work at NH61 with WVYO
