Shillong, Jan 04: Meghalaya Chief Minister Mr. Conrad K Sangma clarified on Friday that the delay in completion of the Rongjeng-Mangsang-Adokgre road was due to complexities, as the previous government had applied for the road construction from two different schemes under the Ministry of DoNER.
The ₹200 crore-plus project was to be completed by 2020. However, the ministry cancelled one of the schemes as it had been applied for in two parts from the same ministry.
“The Ministry of DoNER found that the road was applied for in two parts under two different schemes of the same ministry, and subsequently one of the schemes was cancelled,” the Chief Minister said while responding to a query from the public at CM Connect in Memilam village, North Garo Hills.
He informed that for the past few years, the state government has been coordinating with the Ministry of DoNER and Ministry of Finance to ensure that the important road connecting North and East Garo Hills is completed.
“We have received approval for the completion of the road, and it will be funded by the World Bank,” he added. The 44 km stretch of road is a lifeline for the entire population and impacts at least 50,000 people from the two constituencies of Kharkutta and Rongjeng. While 22 km of the road from Rongjeng to a little beyond Nengkram is somewhat complete, most parts of the road remain incomplete and are difficult to access.
The road was sanctioned in 2017 for ₹210 crores, funded by both NLCPR and NEC. However, the North East Council (NEC) withdrew from the project, taking along the ₹88 crores it had earmarked, reducing the project amount to just over ₹123 crores.
By the time NEC withdrew, almost the entire road had already been dismantled to develop the new one.
