Pointing at the frequent accidents caused by alleged technical flaws in the newly constructed Maharaj Prithu Flyover in Guwahati, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) today demanded an investigation into the matter.
In the wake of the death of a young businessman, Parimal Medhi, in an accident on the flyover, the party also demanded the temporary closure of the flyover, which according to it, has turned into a death trap.
Furthermore, the Pradesh Congress has demanded strict punitive action against the contractors and engineers involved in building the technically flawed flyover. Speaking to the media today, the president of Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress, Meera Borthakur, stated that the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for this flyover, built at an expenditure of Rs 852 crore, must also be brought under the purview of the investigation.
Borthakur questioned why the Public Works Department (PWD) and the concerned authorities failed to address the issue, despite it being brought to their attention long ago that even a single spell of rain makes the flyover unfit for vehicular movement. She also questioned how such negligence could occur, pushing people to their deaths, especially when the department responsible for flyover construction is directly under the Chief Minister. She further alleged that corruption in the construction work took place because certain corrupt contractors are being shielded and patronized.
In this context, she pointed out that although the current Assembly Speaker had alleged massive corruption in construction and appointments during the tenure of former Assam Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, the Chief Minister took no action against him. Instead, Daimary was rewarded with a ministerial portfolio for his extensive corruption. Borthakur alleged that under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, a “competition of corruption” is currently underway.
