by Mayukh Goswami 

Mangaldai : Just at a time when the entire government machinery from Dispur is busy in brisk preparation for the arrival of Prime Minister Modi in Assam on Sunday to inaugurate Rs 5000 crore “Assam Mala” project under the State PWD (Renamed as Loknirman Department ), very poor progress of a repairing work of a busy PWD road in Mangaldai town just opposite to the local territorial office of the department for the last two and half months has become a matter of serious public concern .

The removal work of the existing bituminous surface  of the 350 metre road stretch connecting Bega river  bridge near Youth Club on the North and Superintendent of Sales Tax office on the South was undertaken in the year 2019 before Durga Puja . The work was suddenly stopped with removal of just few metres of hard surface and stacking of bricks  along the Southern most portion of the road. This led to water logging on that portion in the rainy season that followed causing hardships to the local residents and commuters including school children, elderly persons ,women and patients as there exists a no of private medical practitioners, clinical laboratory and imaging centers. ‘ Haphazard all around  ankle dip water on the street in one end and bricks stacked along the sides on the other ” , said Abhijit Dutta, a local denizen while talking to this correspondent .

The situation remained the same until November 2020 when brick drain construction on eastern part covering nearly half of the stretch was carried out . However majority of the drain portion have been left uncovered leaving car owner citizens owning cars to search for other safe alternative campus for their cars . “I have to keep my car in neighbour’s campus since last two months as the drain constructed in front of my residence.” , said a local resident teacher on the condition of anonymity. The local tax paying residents and regular users of the road which witnesses half a dozen government offices , hotel,  shops and other establishments had to bear another bitter experience as on January 22 last contractor’s people unloaded broken stones almost in the middle of road resulting the movements especially after dusk is very risky and hazardous.

In the mean time following the intervention of Manika Borgohain,  an Assistant Commissioner of Deputy Commissioner’s office after she had received public complaints during her visit on Tuesday, repairing work again started but hard crush portion without being removed thus leaving every possibility of sub standard work with hardly any quality supervision by any responsible authorities. ” We demand early completion of the work and at the same time the approved estimate must not be compromised. Responsible PWD authorities need to regularly supervise and monitor its proper execution.” , opined Pradeep Dhar another local resident. 

” We don’t see any information board on the project which has raised questions on the rosy picture often given by the BJP government about one hundred percent transparency and the phenomenal success in developmental projects.” , Dhar added. Meanwhile sources in the PWD has informed that the said stretch of the road was included in the  project called “Repair of the road with interlocking paver block connecting NH 15 and Superintendent Sales Tax office via Youth Club with one side brick drain. ” against an estimated cost of Rs 68 lakhs under SOPD , 2018-19. It may be mentioned here that the nearly one hundred metre initial portion of the road has already been completed few months ago .