Assam: Students on edge due to delayed highway works in Tinsukia district

OUR CORRESPONDENT

DIGBOI: The Bomdila-based TTC Infra India again faces questions on its professional integrity following allegations on quality and accountability in its ongoing highway construction project here in Tingrai -Bogapani area in Assam’s Tinsukia district.

“School students, market goers, and pedestrians are facing unsafe and hazardous conditions such as broken roads, naked drains, missing footpaths, traffic issues, or construction obstacles, because the authorities have not completed or maintained the highway work near Tingrai Primary School,” alleged a businessman affected by delayed construction along NH-38 in Tingrai bazar.

School students commuting daily through the highway are facing serious risks due to prolonged neglect of highway maintenance, incomplete, and delayed works.

“Students enter school premises after crossing open drains using temporary wooden shafts with sharp and rusted reinforcement bars all around,” said one of the guardians residing close to school.

“Crumbling sidewalks, open drainage channels, and lack of pedestrian crossings have created a dangerous environment, especially during school hours,” shared a fear-gripped teacher of the school.

“Students’ to and fro movement on temporary wooden shafts amidst sharp protruding open iron bars of the drain has raised pertinent questions on the professional integrity and safety protocols of the construction agency and sincerity of project monitoring officials of the NHIDCL,” lamented vegetable vendors in front of the school.

Ironically, the assigned timeline of the project already ceased on May 17, 2025, while the works remain severely incomplete.

According to aggrieved local residents of the Makum-Tingrai area, several slab culvert works were in hazardous state causing accidents frequently, many fragmented patches of the existing roads were yet to be carpeted, 1 Railway Over Bridge (ROV) and 2 VUP ( Vehicle Under Pass) were lying incomplete. The role of the quality monitoring agencies and project supervising authority including the NHIDCL have been under radar for failing to ensure quality works and physical progress of the project in a time-bound manner.

“The site visit by the officials of NHIDCL and the contractor’s workers four days back in the Tingrai Station area greatly astounded us as the inspection team restricted their visit to certain sites which were already accomplished,” said an eyewitness along the road.

“Had they moved further 1 kilometre towards Tingrai bazar, they would have witnessed the grim reality and the devastating nature of works the contractor has executed so far,” the witness added.

It is pertinent in the present context to share that TTC, a registered firm established in 1995, and won by a female entrepreneur of Arunachal’s Bomdila specialized in infrastructure buildings and highways, flyovers and bridges, etc. has been embroiled in several controversies earlier related to highway and infrastructure projects in Assam, Arunachal, and Nagaland’s Wokha district. According to records available with the various media outlets, there were allegations of political favouritism and exclusion of local competent contractors in Debang Valley district by contractors association and multiple local organizations in regard to Debang Lot 2 road project, awarded earlier to the company.

Allegations of irregularities in the construction of roads under PMJSY through PIL accusing the company of executing projects without proper survey manipulating population data and delivering sub-standard works (cracked drainage system and inadequate retaining walls) were also in public record.

Moreover, the company also had to face protests and an indefinite bandhs over NH-61 road project accusing of substandard work and organizations demanding the demolition of structures built on compensated land.

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