TURA, June 22: Nature, they say, has a way of laying waste to your best laid plans. For Badri Rai Constructions (BRC), it did so not once but twice in the span of just 13 months. On May 22 last year, the Assembly dome collapse had made headlines while this year, the company, that has been in the eye of the storm ever since, saw another one of its vaunted projects partially collapse.
The PA Sangma Sports Complex, one of the most iconic venues of the Garo Hills region, saw one part of its retaining wall collapse on Thursday morning, raising questions once again of the intention of the company in developing what was supposed to be an international standard football stadium.
The embarrassment however will have to be shared between the contractor and the Conrad Sangma-led MDA 2.0 Government, which has been the biggest benefactor to a company that literally had not been heard of. The fact that it is executing projects worth hundreds of crores in Meghalaya is testimony to the fact that something has not added up and may never be.
Social media was abuzz with news of the wall collapse that has blocked the nearby road to the village. Pictures and videos of the area provided a feeling of being in a war zone, with mud, concrete strewn everywhere. Everyone, worth his salt, blamed the poor, shoddy work done by the contractor, BRC for being the reason why such an incident took place in the first place.
The wall collapse led to at least six cars being partially damaged along with a garage. Huge amounts of loose mud have also collected on the road blocking it completely for traffic.
Quickly going into damage-control mode, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma instructed the contractors to submit a report on the cause of the damage. He said officials have been on the job to clear the landslide debris.
“Instructions have been given to the administration and the department to conduct a thorough investigation and for the contractors to submit a report on the cause of the damage,” he said.
A visit to the stadium, following the wall collapse led to some very surprising but worrisome discoveries. “First thing is that the entire stadium has drainage but the outlet for water from the stadium is literally insignificant. The water from the entire stadium collects but can only go through a small outlet. How will this wall bear the pressure of such humongous amounts of water? Are they not even aware that this region gets huge amounts of rain,” asked Tura MDC Bernard Marak.
Bernard had flagged the poor construction of the stadium even last year prior to when the NPP government hastily inaugurated the structure despite the stadium not being complete in any sense of the word.
Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs, John Barla too came down hard on the NPP-led government after paying a visit to the stadium early this year. He had also warned against the poor construction of the stadium.
The NPP-led government however went ahead with the inauguration after which construction continued at the site.
Locals stated that the warning signs of a collapse were already there and even now most parts of the stadium have developed minute cracks. Many parts that had already cracked, have also been hastily redone by the company.
Interestingly the retaining wall that has collapsed showed more than the company wanted to show the world.
In an effort at cost-cutting, the old retaining wall that was present at the stadium prior to the new construction was retained with a new guard wall being attached to it. It was the one that collapsed and took down a huge chunk of the stadium with it.
“Even the new walls that are there are not strong enough to hold such weights. The construction is extremely poor and they have hardly used rods to strengthen the foundations of the wall. It is there for all to see. The administration and the government must take very strong action against the contractor following an inquiry. We can risk the lives of people to cost cutting measures,” added Bernard.
Just after Marak left, Lok Sabha member from Tura, Agatha Sangma followed by West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Jagdish Chelani arrived to take stock of the situation.
The DC during his discussion with the representatives of the company came down heavily on the group while seeking answers on the reason for the wall collapse. Agatha too felt the contractors needed to be blacklisted for their continued negligence despite locals coming forward to explain the intricacies of the land. These advices, including those from local engineers, was never heeded, something that the MP was unhappy about.
“I have come to check the ground reality and feel the government should take very strong action against the contractor as it is apparent that there has been negligence. People have been pressed into action by the state to investigate the matter and as now I can’t comment on what occurred but we need to ensure such things don’t repeat,” felt Agatha, though she felt grateful that there was no loss of life due to the mishap.
Chelani stated that a magisterial inquiry has been ordered and will be led by an assistant commissioner of the district.
“We will be able to take action against the negligent parties once the investigation into the matter is complete. We have got media reports of six cars being damaged and an assessment is going on. The debris on the road is expected to be cleared within 24 hours so that the road is made operational again. The remaining part of the retaining wall will also be dismantled so that it does not pose any further danger,” stated the DC.
Fortunately for residents, there is another road that can be used by them, though excavators were on the road to clear the same.
“This is an accident waiting to happen. We have been shouting since the company took over due to their negligent attitude to the stadium construction. They have been cutting corners at every step and nothing really bears the finishing touches. Even now you can see that they have not maintained any quality and this could become a huge danger in the future,” said one of the locals while speaking to Agatha during her visit.
He later showed places where he said were faults in construction and how despite their repeated warnings, the company didn’t listen.
“They feel we are fools and they are the smart ones. I work in welding and I can tell you that their welded parts are not strong to withstand continuous occupation. There are so many places where cracks have developed. This devil may care attitude of the company will become a risky affair for all of us,” he added.
