Assam: men, projects held to ransom

A team of five persons 8212; project manager, deputy manager, engineer, driver and security officer 8212; was kidnapped from Haflong area...

A team of five persons 8212; project manager, deputy manager, engineer, driver and security officer 8212; was kidnapped from Haflong area by suspected Black Widow militants when the team was on its way to NHAI camp in North Cachar hills district of Assam on March 12. In January this year, an NHAI engineer was killed by militants and in December last, militants attacked a contractor8217;s camp in Maibong hills in North Cachar that left an engineer dead and two others injured. Needless to say, the kidnapping of these five persons 8212; three of them from Velcha Engineering Company 8212; has demoralised the contractors engaged by NHAI across the East-West corridor.

The contractors in the area have told the NHAI that they are in no position to continue work in such a situation. Officials from NHAI and the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways rushed to Guwahati and held talks with the Chief Secretary of Assam on the issue.

8220;There is still no news of the five kidnapped persons. The issue is under investigation. The ministry has raised it with the Chief Secretary of Assam. The incident has had a demoralising effect on contractors who have said that either work should be suspended in the disturbed area or completely closed. Railway officials are feeling highly vulnerable and want to move out,8221; said a senior official.

The Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport 038; Highways had raised the issue of worsening law and order situation in Assam that had badly hit the progress of work. Last year, the PM had given a go-ahead for the creation of a 1,000-strong dedicated Force drawn from ex-servicemen for the insurgency-hit area and the NHAI had managed to put together 500 people. But that seemed to be of little help. About 200 CRPF personnel are also stationed at contractors8217; camps across the highway.

NHAI has projects worth Rs 6,000 crore, stretching across 678 km in Assam and is currently in the thick of construction activity across 200 km. Seven-eight contracts 8212; stretching across 150 km in North Cachar hills district 8212; have been hit by militancy, leading to a slowdown in work as they are unable to work due to threat to life and extortion threats. Railways personnel face similar problems with 11 Railway employees killed in the same area in October 2006.

The East-West corridor, under NHDP phase II, is to connect Silchar in the northeast to Porbander in the west. It starts from Assam and is giving NHAI a tough time with 2 per cent progress reported across 27 contracts handed out in 2005 end.