• Warns of ‘ugly and hostile’ reception
• Demands immediate redress from govt.
• ‘Atone’ by completing earlier projects first,’ M&G told
EMN
Dimapur, April 19
Even after years of controversy, and allegations of corruption, mismanagement and protests from contractors and common citizens alike, the dubious construction company Mayta & Gayatri Joint Venture is still in action – and so have local contractors in Nagaland.
The ‘selection’ of the company by the government to undertake construction of the controversial four-lane Kohima-Dimapur highway has triggered anger among the local contractors’ community. For many years now, contractors in the state have been up at arms against the company, levelling charges and even demanding investigations in the dealings of the company.
Likewise, communities and citizens have been expressing outrage at the company for allegedly failing to undertake works, or failing to show transparency considering that the road development projects that were entrusted with continue to be perceived as non-existent, abandoned, or half-done.
Joining its district counterparts, contractors in Phek district have also issued statements of protest – and, for the first time perhaps, an open warning of ‘ugly’ and ‘hostile’ reception and ‘occurrences.’ The Phek district unit of the Nagaland Contractors & Suppliers’ Union issued a statement on Tuesday warning the authorities and company of ‘ugly and ‘hostile’ reaction should redress for the issue fails to come.
“We are shocked and irked to learn that the central Road Ministry had allotted the Dimapur –Kohima four-lane road construction project to the disreputed (sic) Maytas & Gayatri despite their utter failure in the last four road projects undertaken by the same firm,’ the Phek contractors stated.
“The firm (Maytas & Gayatri) had miserably failed to perform and should have been contained and black-listed Prima facie. Under such circumstances the preference given to this work-shy firm is in contempt of all norms and specifications and a grave insult to the people of Nagaland as a whole.”
The Phek division of the NCSU assured that it would “out-rightly defy” such “discrimination and support the NCSU Nagaland to oppose the indiscreet work allotment of the project.”
Unless the construction firm makes “atonement” and complete the incomplete road projects it undertook in Nagaland, there would be no place for the company in the state, the union implied.
The Phek division said that it will not ‘entertain any other works,’ besides the four-lane Dimapur-Kohima road construction to be undertaken by the company ‘even in the near future.’
“The Nagas are enthusiastic about development and the four-lane Dimapur-Kohima Road Project taken up by Central Ministry is a mega-project and metropolitan in out-look (first of its kind in Nagaland) and we are grateful,” Phek’s contactors stated.
“However, we are also very much infuriated and while expressing our resentment by the very fact that the work order was managed and issued unscrupulously to an under-performing firm like the Maytas & Gayatri.”
The Phek NCSU added this warning: If no immediate redress and measures are initiated, Maytas & Gayatri Joint Venture will only be “intercepted by a hostile reception and will be held responsible for occurrences of any ugly or incidences arising out of it.”
