Maku Village Authority blasts Government apathy over stalled PMGSY Road and Sub-Health Centre works

Special Correspondent
Ukhrul/Kamjong, March 10:
The Maku Village Authority has expressed strong displeasure and shock over what it termed as “blatant inaction and administrative apathy” on the part of the Manipur State Rural Development Agency (MSRRDA), the Rural Engineering Department, and the Engineering Cell (Hill–I) of the Health & Family Welfare Department, Government of Manipur, over two crucial infrastructure projects left incomplete in the village.
In a press statement jointly signed by Headman A.S. Eleazer Zimik and Chairman of the Maku Development Council Aleng Shaiza, the Authority alleged serious violations of guidelines under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and PM-ABHIM schemes, and demanded immediate action against the erring contractors and concerned officials.
The PMGSY Road Package No. MN-KMJ (A) MN09153 Phase-XI, stretching 8 km from TO2/BRTF Road to Maku village, was awarded to M/s HVS Construction Materials Pvt. Ltd. at a tender cost of Rs. 334.69 lakh, with an additional Rs. 46.02 lakh earmarked for five-year maintenance. The project, scheduled for completion within 18 months from October 27, 2018 to April 26, 2020, included the construction of five retaining walls, ten breast walls, and 80 metres of pucca drains.
However, according to the Village Authority, none of these components has been completed in accordance with the prescribed norms. The Authority alleged that despite repeated complaints, the contractor began blacktopping only in March 2024—nearly four years past the deadline—and subsequently abandoned the site in May 2025 after partial completion, citing non-disbursement of funds.
The Authority further stated that a written complaint was submitted to the Chief Engineer, RED/MSRRDA, Imphal, on October 30, 2025 (DAK No. 1851), seeking an inspection of the substandard work. “Nine months have elapsed, yet no official has visited the site. The road remains incomplete and far from satisfactory as per PMGSY guidelines,” the statement read.
Expressing outrage, the Village Authority alleged that the contractor and sub-contractors are enjoying “immunity” due to alleged connivance with certain officials, while the hill population continues to suffer from poor connectivity and unsafe infrastructure.
In a separate but equally concerning issue, the Authority highlighted the stalled construction of infrastructure support for a building-less Sub-Health Centre at Maku under PM-ABHIM for the financial year 2022–23. The project, valued at Rs. 50,45,816, was awarded to M/s Kshetrimayum, a Class I contractor, and commenced in late October 2024.
Despite repeated appeals from the Village Authority to the sub-contractor, Mr. Guneshor Singh, to maintain quality standards, the construction was reportedly abandoned by the end of October 2025 without completion. The incomplete health facility has left villagers deprived of basic healthcare infrastructure.
The Maku Village Authority has urged the Government of Manipur and the concerned departments to initiate immediate punitive measures against the erring contractors and ensure strict adherence to approved specifications and norms. It has set a 15-day deadline for the resumption of both projects, failing which it warned of further course of action.
The Authority reiterated that developmental negligence in hill districts reflects systemic disregard for marginalized communities and called for accountability, transparency, and urgent administrative intervention.