Itanagar: The All Arunachal Contractors Welfare Association (AACWA) has called upon Chief Minister Pema Khandu to immediately call a meeting with M/s Woodhill-Shivam (JV), the contracting company, to address the prolonged delays and insufficient resource deployment in the construction of the Pappunallah-Nirjuli (Package-B) of National Highway 415.
The AACWA in a representation submitted to the chief minister’s office on Monday said that the 11.30-kilometer NH-415 project is of paramount importance to the state, however, concerns have emerged regarding the apparent sluggish pace of the construction work.
The AACWA blamed the contracting firm for failing to deploy an adequate number of resources, including machinery and manpower, to key project components such as RCC culverts, retaining walls, drains, and flyover bridge pillars.
“This lackluster progress has adversely impacted the capital city’s residents, leading to severe traffic congestion and affecting government employees’ punctuality,” it said.
The association said the situation has also disrupted the lives of schoolchildren, daily wage earners, and public transportation services, which form the backbone of the region’s daily life.
The AACWA has also raised concerns regarding the contracting company’s financial capacity and has suggested involving local entrepreneurs to sublet specific project categories to expedite progress.
The association underscored that this tardy pace of work is not in keeping with the state’s dynamic leadership.
Furthermore, the AACWA also highlighted the absence of engineers from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) visiting the project site to ensure adherence to quality and timelines.
“This absence has led to concerns about the effectiveness of the state’s public works department (PWD) in managing projects, ultimately prompting the central government to take control. Nevertheless, even projects managed by MoRTH and NHDICL have faced difficulties in achieving both quality and timely completion. We therefore urge the chief minister to immediately call M/s Woodhill-Shivam (JV) to know the reason why they are playing with the developmental activities of the twin capital by not engaging sufficient machinery and manpower at their work site,” the AACWA said.
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