IMPHAL, November 10: The Director General of Border Roads Organisation, Lieutenant General RaviShanker had fooled the people particularly the transporters of the state by declaring that the road condition of NH-37 Imphal-Jiribam road has improved, infront of media persons yesterday.
This was said by president of Transporters’ and drivers’ Council, S Rajit, speaking to media persons this afternoon at the council’s office here at MG Avenue.
The Director General of Border Roads Organisation was on a few hours visit to Imphal yesterday.
He further said that whatever the Director General of Border Roads Organisation told media persons yesterday are all untrue.
The monitoring committee’s report of the work was submitted after bribing the convenor of the monitoring committee by the BRO officials, which could be proved by only travelling along the highway, he claimed.
The state Transport Director also holds the post of the convenor of the Monitoring Committee. The secretary of TDC represents the council at the Monitoring Committee.
But failing to gain trust in the Monitoring Committee’s way of inspecting the roads which was more like they were on a picnic, did not joined the inspection tour of highway, he said.
He also assured that with the appointment of a new Transport Director, TDC representatives will join the next monitoring committee’s inspection tour of the highway.
“Whether the BRO does its work or not, TDC will surely do the road construction works on NH-37,” the president of TDC assured.
Refuting the DG’s remark that around 700 vehicles runs on the stretch on a daily basis which disturbs the work as well as transportation of materials; he said that the claim is baseless.
The Director General of Police can easily give a detailed account about the vehicular movement on the highway, he said.
And also it is indeed a matter of surprise that railways can execute their works easily by bring all the needed material from other places while BRO cannot, he added.
Narrating an incident where BRO denied any help to them, he said that on November 6, around 700 trucks from Jiribam were heading towards Imphal, but at Keimai area two trucks had fallen into a pit and was stuck there and all the vehicles were left stranded.
Following which, the truck drivers approached the BRO officials to rescue them by bringing an excavator along with some truck of stones but were denied of any help, he said.
The next day i.e. November 7 they approached the railway officials and the railways came to their rescue. The stretch was later repaired with the help of the stones brought by the TDC trucks to start the vehicular movement. And it was only yesterday that the all vehicles reached Imphal, he said.
The DG must have said by mistake that there are 250 labourers working under BRO on that stretch instead of 75 labourers, he mockingly said.
The TDC appealed the BRO not to lie to public as well as transporters regarding the road development works, he said and added that black topping the roads are not the only job for BRO, they also need to repair the roads and fill the pits with stones to avoid accidents.