Gauhati high court makes CBI, PWD parties in Mizoram incomplete skywalk, ropeway cases

AIZAWL: The Aizawl bench of the Gauhati high court has made both the CBI and the state PWD's engineer-in-chief parties in a case about the incomplete, but largely paid for skywalk and ropeway projects in northern Aizawl.
The public interest litigation (PIL) filed by journalist Zomuanpuia, who is based in the Assam border town of Kolasib, through lawyer Rosalyn L Hmar was heard for the tenth time on January 17.
During the hearing, a division bench comprising Justices Michael Zothankhuma and Marli Vankung rejected a plea for further adjournments on behalf of the two respondents' lawyer, Mohammad Faris.
The money already given to the respondents - Joint Venture NEIP Projects Ropeways & Resorts and Capt. Satish Pathania, consultant and managing director "does not appear to be commensurate with the work done," the bench said. The court observed that an affidavit filed by the under secretary for the state tourism department last October shows that Rs 485 lakh was sanctioned for the construction of a skywalk at Sakawrhmuituaitlang near Aizawl, while Rs 2,482.58 lakh was sanctioned for the construction of a cable-car/ropeway between Durtlang and Chaltlang hills in Aizawl.
The total amount sanctioned for the two projects was Rs 2,967.58 lakh. From the money sanctioned for the more expensive of these two projects - the ropeway - almost 54% (or Rs 1,317.8 lakh) had already been disbursed to the contractor.
However, the court after examining photographs showing the construction done so far observed that the expenses could not have been more than Rs 30 lakh.