Aizawl, August 2: The Chhimphei Mizo Zirlai Pawl called a press conference at the Aizawl Press Club today where they pointed out their infuriation with the ongoing Aizawl to Buangpui via Thenzawl road construction works undertaken by three companies including Valecha Engineering Limited, Mumbai.
Speaking to the press, R. B. Lalmalsawma, president of the CMZP held that the construction works done by Valecha Engineering Limited are few and unsatisfactory and that the deadline they have set for themselves to black top the 15 kms of road from the Aizawl to Muallungthu by April 19, 2007 have not been completed till today.
“The company has signed an agreement saying that they will pay Rs. 50,000 each day from April 19 till the 15 kms black topping is completed. However, we have found out that they have not been fined any amount till today and we feel very let down by this discrimination shown against the people living in these areas,” he said.
He also went on to say that the company has been employed to cover 0-52 kms of road between Aizawl to Hmuifang road and that the scheduled work was set to be completed by July 17, 2008.
“The company signed the agreement for the contract on September 2005 but they have not even completed a quarter of the work. The CMZP finds it hard to believe that such a company that can answer even an international tender could have such an unsatisfactory and slow record in Mizoram,” he said.
“Some people have accused the CMZP of being the main obstruction for the proper working of the company but the accusation is entirely false. The main cause of their slow work is because of a certain person B. B. Bhala who works as the quarry manager for the company. Bhala has a Mizo female partner and both of them supplies low quality quarry stones for the road construction,” he said.
He stressed that the stones Bhala and his partner supplies are not good enough for laying black tops and because of this, the works the company had completed had to be destroyed again and redone with good quality stones.
“After the CMZP proved that the stones supplied by Bhala were not good enough for the roads, we were very angry and even demanded that he leave the state. But, the clever fellow that he is, he managed to win of some community leaders to his side using his wealth and is now causing a big stir in Chhimphei and the surrounding areas,” he went on.
He also stated that the CMZP now firmly believes that since Bhala has now left, the construction works could go on as planned and the locals in the areas are hoping that the road would be completed as soon as possible.
“The people of Chhimphei are losing their patience and tensions are boiling to such a point that some are ready to go all the way to shed their blood for the completion of the road. We are calling this press conference to give a last warning to the state officials to see to it that the roads are completed soon and maintained well. From now on, the CMZP will take steps without giving notice to any of the authorities to see that the construction works are properly being run,” he said.
Answering questions on how Bhala could supply low quality stones to the road, Lalmalsawma alleged that even when the stones were examined and rejected by company observers, he supplied them in the dead of the night with the help of his employed truck drivers.
He also made it a point that the CMZP had not received any donations or contracts from the road construction works nor do they intend to. “Our main objective is to ensure that the road is completed without further delay and we will work to reach our objective in any way we can,” he said.
