Asom Mala Road Project Triggers BJP-Contractor Standoff in Digboi

DIGBOI — A road project meant to improve connectivity in Tinsukia district has instead become the flashpoint for an increasingly bitter standoff between the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and the contractor executing the Mohong–Digboi stretch of the Asom Mala Phase-II project.

At the centre of the dispute are contractor Matlebuddin Ahmed and his associate Bhaskar Goswami of Purvanchal Building Pvt. Ltd., the firm tasked with the nearly 40-km stretch via Pengaree. BJYM's Digboi and Tingrai mandal committees have filed a series of formal complaints with the district administration and police, levelling serious allegations against the duo.

A Broken Promise to Local Workers

The friction traces back to a meeting at the BJP Digboi Mandal office, where the contractor had reportedly assured local workers that they would be engaged in supplying construction materials for the project.

BJYM claims that as the project nears completion, that commitment has been quietly abandoned — amounting to what the youth wing has called a "calculated exclusion" of local stakeholders from a project being executed in their own backyard.

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MLA 'Insulted', Work Quality Questioned

The situation escalated when BJYM workers confronted the contractor over the broken promise. The organisation alleges that Ahmed responded with "highly abusive and unconstitutional language" directed at Digboi MLA Suren Phukan — an act BJYM has termed an affront to democratic mandate.

Beyond the conduct allegations, party leaders also raised concerns about construction quality, alleging "gross negligence" and "dangerously poor execution standards" during a press interaction at the MP Office in Digboi. They warned that substandard work on a public road could become a serious safety hazard.

Contractor Hits Back With Commission Allegations

The plot has thickened with a counter-offensive from the contractor's side.

Bhaskar Goswami, speaking at a press interaction in Guwahati on Tuesday, accused MLA Suren Phukan of demanding commissions and claimed the MLA had created obstacles that delayed the project. Phukan has previously denied any wrongdoing, though no fresh rebuttal has emerged specifically in response to Goswami's latest claims.

BJYM Threatens to Halt Work

BJYM leaders have drawn a clear line in the sand — warning that work on the project will be brought to a halt unless the remaining portions are handed over to local youth as originally promised.

With formal complaints filed, protests gaining momentum, and allegations flying from both sides, the Asom Mala Phase-II project in Digboi has become a test case for accountability in infrastructure execution — and for who ultimately benefits when public money funds local development.