Haflong, April 30: The Indigenous Bio-diversity and Human Rights Organisation, a Dima Hasao-based NGO, filed a public interest litigation in Gauhati High Court on Saturday against Calcutta-based Simplex Infrastructure Ltd, which had been entrusted with the construction of the 8km Haflong-Jatinga Road in central Assam.
Work on the stretch stopped a week ago. The road falls under National Highway 54 (E), connecting Haflong with Silchar.
The PIL said the government would upgrade the existing intermediate road into a two-lane road, from Jatinga village to Haflong under the Special Accelerated Road Development programme in North East (SARPD-NE). In the process, some villagers have been deprived of compensation due to corruption.
It has been alleged that some influential people of the locality have also embezzled government funds by collecting compensation in spite of having no land or property along the existing road.
The National Highways Authority of India allotted the Rs 25.48-crore project for Haflong-Jatinga Road to Simplex in 2010-11.
The Dima Hasao Congress demanded termination of the contract with Simplex, citing the inordinate delay in the construction of the Haflong-Jatinga Road. The chief executive member of the NC Hills Autonomous Council, Debojeet Thaosen, said NKC Project Pvt Ltd, at his request, then started repairs on the road. However, some organisations opposed it. The North Cachar Hills Indigenous Students Forum demanded a halt to the repairs being done by NKC Project Pvt Ltd.
Simplex thereafter allotted the work to a Guwahati-based firm, Rajib Ghosh Construction Company. The company started construction of the road in May 2011. However, the company could not complete the road, prompting student organisations, political parties, NGOs and apex bodies to protest the delay.
On March 13, members of the Dima Hasao Congress staged a blockade along the Haflong-Jatinga Road, demanding its immediate repair and maintenance.
The protest prompted Rajib Ghosh to sign an agreement stating that the 3km Haflong-Mahadevtilla stretch wo-uld be completed by March 31 and the rest of the stretch by May 31, failing which he would be liable for legal action.
But the company has failed to construct the road within the stipulated period and stopped the ongoing work.
David Keivom, the president of the students' forum, said, "The work is allegedly not going according to the national highway specifications. NKC is allegedly only repairing the road, whereas the road should be newly constructed."
Praveen Kumar, the project manager of NKC, said, "We were doing the work at the request of chief executive member of the NC Hills Autonomous Council, Debojeet Thaosen. However, we had to stop after 10-15 members of the students' forum approached our camp and allegedly threatened our staff to stop the work."
Abhijeet Das, the project manager of Simplex, told The Telegraph over phone, "We have stopped the work because of alleged interference of Nirmal Langathasa, the executive member of the NC Hills Autonomous council."
Nirmal Langathasa, however, denied the allegations.
