GUWAHATI, May 10 - Almost all the firms engaged in the four-laning of the NH37 and 52 have repeatedly failed to meet the periodic targets set by the NHIDCL, forcing the Central government corporation to make a fresh assessment of the progress made by the contractors so far.
The sluggish pace of the highway four-laning project has spurred public anger across the State, with some of the contractors even failing to complete even 10 per cent of the work so far.
At least one firm is learnt to have reportedly kept the construction work in suspension, citing shortage of raw materials after the �illegal quarries� in Karbi Anglong were shut down.
The NHIDCL had a few months back slapped �intention to terminate� notice on M/s GDCL, which is implementing the project on 37-km Jorhat-Jhanji stretch and the 44-km Jhanji-Demow section, after the progress in more than a year�s time was only 2.71 and 3.09 per cent respectively. However, sources said that after the company made some commitments, the notice was kept in abeyance and the contractor put on watch.
�We are making an assessment of the progress made so far and whether the firm has fulfilling its commitments. Necessary action will be taken after that exercise,� sources told The Assam Tribune.
At least three contracts have so far been terminated due to poor performance. M/s Atlanta Ltd was ousted from the Moran Bypass-Bogibeel section, while Corsan Corvium SA had lost both its contracts for four-laning of the Jhanji-Demow and Jorhat-Jhaji stretches. The latter two sections were awarded to M/s GDCL after floating fresh tenders.
Progress in all the sections has been extremely sluggish, according to a status report as on March this year.
The progress in the Nagaon Bypass-Rangagara section (18 km) is only 19.28 per cent, and the firm, TK Engineering Consortium Pvt Ltd, engaged in 2016 has not achieved the last two targets.
Only 6.5 per cent of the work of the 18-km Rangagara-Kaliabor Tiniali section has been completed in two years time.
TK Engineering has also repeatedly failed to achieve the milestones in the 26-km Jamuguri-Biswanath Chariali section, prompting the NHIDCL branch office to send a report to its headquarters after slapping an �intention to terminate� notice.
The NHIDCL has also sought a report on the status of the 57-km Biswanath Chariali-Gohpur section. M/s Ramky-TKE (JV) is constructing the stretch from 2016 and the progress is only 39 per cent.
The progress in the Numaligarh-Jorhat section is only 27 per cent. The firm, M/s HCC is constructing the 39-km stretch since May, 2015.
M/s Gannon Dunkerley Pvt Ltd has also failed to meet the last two milestones in the Demow-Moran bypass section, and the progress so far is just 23 per cent.
The NHIDCL is currently executing 3322 km of road and bridge works in the State. The total cost of these projects is estimated at Rs 55731 crore.
