No project awarded to blacklisted firms, Meghalaya govt claims

Shillong: The Meghalaya government has claimed that it has no control over a project awarded to ARSS Infrastructure Projects Ltd, a company reportedly blacklisted by the state.

Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who heads the Public Works Department (Roads), stated that the National Highway 51 project falls under the purview of the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), an agency of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and not the state.

“The state government’s responsibility is limited to handing over the land to NHIDCL,” Tynsong explained.

He added that he was unaware of ARSS’s blacklisting status.

Tynsong suggested that Meghalaya BJP vice president Bernard Marak, who raised concerns about the project, should contact the MoRTH in New Delhi for further information.

It may be mentioned that Marak had been criticizing the ruling MDA government for awarding the project to ARSS despite its alleged blacklisting.

Marak claimed that the project was initially awarded to Manoranjan Company, but due to delays, it was transferred to Shubham, a company allegedly connected to ARSS.

He further alleged that ARSS was blacklisted for irregularities in a previous Shillong-Dawki road project.