Works Minister Kh. Ratankumar today failed to give appropriate clarification to the frequent submersion of MI road by water after light rain during a cut motion moved by MLA L Ibomcha while passing the demand for grant of Public Works Department.
Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, who is also in-charge of Finance today moved to approve six more demand for grant of six department including transport and Public Works department.
While discussing to approve a grant of rupees 639,99,63,000/- for the public works department three position MLAs moved policy cut motion on various ground.
MLA L Ibomcha, while moving the policy cut motion said that various road stretch along the western side of the MI road has been often flood in little rain due to lack of proper drainage system. He said that the drainage system constructed at the road side is higher than the road and instead of draining the water from the roads to the drain the water remain flooding on the road, resulting creation of various pot holes. The MLA also specify some of the places where the water often flooded. He said the worst is happening in front of Keishamthong Model school. He also said that there are no sufficient culverts to drain the rain water towards the Nambul River.
On the other hand, L Ibomcha said that government has not still cleared the bill of the Khagempali link road which was constructed with assurance from the department to utilise the cost by borrowing from others. He said people have started blaming him as he happened to be the representative of the Keishamthong constituency and people do not know that the state PWD department has not clear the bill.
While clarifying these two matter Works Minister Kh.Ratan said fund or the construction of Khagempalli road could not be cleared at the moment as the state is facing serious financial problem. The Minister however did not mention any single words regarding the artificial flood occurring at MI road after little rain.
MLA Shyamkumar and MLA Dr. I Ibohalbi also moved policy cut motion to the passing of the demand for grant for PWd on the ground that the department has failed to provide proper maintenance fund for the already constructed roads under Special Plan assistant fund and also taking up of work without proper tender notification.
Works Minister Kh. Ratankumar said that the department still has backlog liability for the last fiscal year and this year too, the fund for maintenance is only 59.89 crore. On the matter of implementing works without proper work order or tendering process, Works Minister Ratankumar said that there are some emergency situation at which the department has to act in urgency. Such as landslide, or mudslide, these kind of works has to be acted by skipping the tender process.
