Rs 194-Crore Majuli Project Works Under Scanner

GUWAHATI: The quality of works of Government of India’s ambitious Rs 194-crore project – Protection of Majuli River Island from Erosion – is under the scanner. The implementing agency of the scheme is the Brahmaputra Board.

The work of the project was inaugurated by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in December 2017 in the presence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. Making it to the State Assembly from Majuli, the Chief Minister has a special attachment to the project. The project is being done by TK Engineering, an Arunachal Pradesh-based construction company.

However, the local people are not satisfied with the works of the project. There are allegations of quality compromise. The local people allege that they found a number of geobags (large sandbags) used in the project floating in water. This, they allege, implies that a number of empty geobags were also used in the work. The local people also allege that the work of the project is going on very slowly.

For the allegation of quality compromise, an official of the Brahmaputra Board had to face the wrath of the irate public at the project site, Bhakat Chapori, on Monday.

Meanwhile, following a directive from Majuli DC Debaprasad Misra, ADC Naren Das inspected the project on the spot on Tuesday. The ADC also cast doubt on the quality of the work.

When contacted by The Sentinel on Tuesday, ADC Naren Das said: “We’ve doubts over the quality of works. The Executive Engineer of the Brahmaputra Board has been asked to get the matter inspected, fix the responsibility and send us a report.”

Meanwhile, the Executive Engineer, Bhaskar Choudhury, sent his preliminary report to the district administration later on Tuesday. The report in verbatim reads: “Regarding the finding of empty geobags, it is to inform that geobags are issued from central store to site through indent and the bags at site are under the custody of the contractor till laying. The record of supply of geobags is maintained at the central store and the record for laying of Geobags is kept by measuring the filled bags after stitching. The work is also carried out under CCTV surveillance. As such the matter is being verified with all records from the site Junior Engineer and the contractor.”

The major components of the project include (a) bank revetment with geobags filled with earth/sand for a reach length of 27 km in 14 locations (b) RCC porcupine works in 41 locations (c) construction of a sluice and (d) construction of a pilot channel for a length of 3.50 km.

The scheme was sanctioned by Government of India in March, 2017. The funding for the project would be from Ministry of DoNER.

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