Palampur road left incomplete

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, June 7

The condition of Palampur-Rakh via Bundla Ghamrota Kandi road, linking over one dozen villages with Palampur, has gone from bad to worse in the past two years as the contractor has left the road work incomplete. At many spots, the condition of the road is so bad that it looks like a nullah. Residents of Kandi area have made several complaints to the Public Works Department (PWD), but no steps have been initiated to repair the road.

As per the information gathered by The Tribune, an amount of Rs 3.34 crore was sanctioned for this road in 2017. Later, the Public Works Department handed over the construction work to a contractor in May 2017 for upgrading the road and improving its drainage system. The construction was to be completed within one year, before June 2018. However, the contractor left the job unfinished.

MR Rana, Executive Engineer, PWD, Palampur, said despite repeated reminders, the contractor failed to resume the construction and drainage work. He said the PWD had already supplied him bitumen and cement, but no headway was made. No work was carried out by the contractor in the past six months. So, a penalty of Rs 16.7 lakh was imposed on him in March 2020 for defying the terms and conditions of the contract signed with the PWD.

Ashish Butail, MLA, Palampur, said he had arranged funds of Rs 3.34 crore from NABARD with great efforts. Despite two-year delay in the completion of works, no penal action was taken against the contractor by the PWD authorities. The PWD took action when he raised the matter in the HP Assembly in 2019.

Ashish said the contractor also deviated from the original DPR. No officer visited the road and looked into the matter. Whoever from the department was accountable for the lapses, besides contractor, should be penalised, the MLA added.

No work despite reminders

• Executive Engineer, PWD, said despite repeated reminders, the contractor failed to resume the construction and drainage work
• He said the PWD had already supplied him bitumen and cement, but no headway was made
• No work was carried out by the contractor in the past six months. So, a penalty of Rs 16.7 lakh was imposed on him in March 2020 for defying the terms and conditions of the contract signed with the PWD