UKHRUL: The complaints of people living along National Highway 202 over its deteriorating condition led Member of the Manipur Legislative Assembly Ram Muivah to inspect the stretch between Yaingangpokpi and Lunghar, covering about 100 km, from Wednesday to Thursday.
Muivah was accompanied by Prabal Das, DGM of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), on Wednesday, and Ravi Rajan, along with other NHIDCL engineers posted in Ukhrul, on Thursday.
In a letter addressed to Santosh Kumar Rai, Executive Director of NHIDCL, Muivah said, “As your own NHIDCL engineers have seen first-hand, the NH 202 is in a terrible shape.”
Muivah reported that there was no visible manpower deployment for construction of the road and no sign of efforts to clear landslides and sinking zones. “The NH 202 appears to be completely abandoned,” he stated.
According to NHIDCL site engineers, the contractor for the stretch, Ganapati from Rajasthan, submitted a foreclosure of the project before its completion for reasons that remain unclear. Muivah urged that the issue of foreclosure be settled and construction resumed without further delay.
He added, “As you are aware, NH 202 is the only lifeline of Ukhrul and Kamjong districts and it is also critically vital for the state of Manipur.”
During the inspection, the Lunghar Village Authority submitted a memorandum stating that the villagers had accepted the fourth option from the latest survey conducted by the NHIDCL consultant for the proposed bypass of NH 202. The villagers also conveyed their acceptance of compensation for affected landowners based on the 2024 Joint Physical Measurement conducted by the Revenue Department.
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The villagers reported that NH 202 covers a 14-km stretch within Lunghar jurisdiction, of which there is no dispute over 11.5 km. However, the issue concerning the remaining 3.5 km of the proposed bypass is yet to be conclusively settled.
Pending the resolution of the bypass issue, the affected landowners are ready to accept compensation for the 11.5-km stretch based on the 2024 Joint Physical Measurement.
Muivah requested the concerned authorities to look into the matter and take appropriate action at the earliest in the interest of public service.
