Our Correspondent
MANGALDAI: A startling discovery has rocked the Pandit Dindayal Upadhyaya Adarsha Mahavidyalaya (PDUAM) in Dalgaon in Darrang district. A double-storey building, touted as a state-of-the-art laboratory facility, has developed ominous cracks just months after its completion. The Rs 10 crore project, intended to bolster the institution’s infrastructure, now stands as a testament to potential mismanagement and subpar construction by the contractor concerned.
As a team of media persons visited the building, the extent of the damage became clear. Long, jagged cracks scar the walls and beams, casting a shadow of doubt over the building’s structural integrity. Students and faculty members are understandably concerned, their fears fueled by the possibility of a collapse.
The project’s paperwork reveals a trail of questionable decisions. The initial tender value of Rs 9.45 crore ballooned to Rs 10 crore, with the contractor, Kulen Hazarika, receiving a substantial Rs 9 crores 75 lakhs 65 thousands. Yet, the building’s fate hangs in the balance, its intended purpose thwarted by apparent construction flaws. According to available official records the G+1 laboratory building with pile foundation was among the six components of the Signature project 2018-19 under package No. SP-49 . The work order of the contract was issued on 27th July in 2019 to the contractor Kulen Hazarika and subsequently the work commenced on 20th February 2020. The Executive Engineer of the Darrang District Territorial Building Division here on being contacted, didn’t rule out the cracks, but he refrained from making further comments
This incident raises pressing questions about accountability, quality control, and the safeguarding of public funds. Will the responsible authorities take swift action to address this crisis, or will the cracks in the system continue to widen? On the other hand, in violation to the departmental rule, the contractor concerned even didn’t erect any visible display board with the detailed project information at the site.
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