SHILLONG:
The state Congress has demanded the resignation of minister in-charge Public Works Department (PWD) (Buildings) Dasakhiat Lamare on moral grounds for the collapse of the steel dome of the under-construction Assembly building at Mawdiangdiang, New Shillong Township.
“The minister should immediately step down taking moral responsibility as of late, too many projects under his department have come under scanner,” said Banphiralang Basaiawmoit, vice president of Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC), on May 26.
The youth Congress also demanded the suspension of the executive engineer of the department, Ransom Sutnga, to ensure a fair inquiry into the recent collapse of the dome of the new Assembly building but refrained from setting any deadline to their demands.
Banphiralang also alleged that the construction site is yet to be sealed and workers are seen working in its premises. “If people are still there at the site, tampering with evidence might occur. As youth Congress, a responsible party, we feel that the place should be sealed immediately. We should not allow anyone to tamper with any evidence on the site,” he said.
The youth leader also alleged that tender clauses have been flouted while awarding it to the concerned company. “The sub-contract work allotted to BRC Ltd. could not have been more than 40 per cent of the contract value, but it seems the tender clause has been ignored by UPRNN Ltd. whereby 100 per cent of the work is being executed by the sub-contractor,” he said.
Alleging that the current National People’s Party-led government is flouting rules at will and pushing the system for their own personal gains. “This attitude of bulldozing state agencies and departments has never been witnessed in our state till recently. It seems that the bureaucracy is being coerced to suit the whims and fancies of their political masters and this is a sign of the rot that has plagued our beloved state,” he said.
Stating that it is about time that this “chalta hai” attitude of the people in power should come to an end, Banphiralang said, “The public of this state cannot be taken for a ride any more as we have seen for the past four years, all the failures of the government has had a direct or indirect impact on the well-being of the common man. Even the stars are aligning towards exposing the rot that has been brought about by this government.”
Meanwhile, Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) secretary Manuel Badwar said that the party is suspecting intentions to hide evidence of what went wrong in the construction site from the structural point of view.
“Even a layman can understand that the way the entire structure crumbled on May 21 speaks volume about the sub-standard quality of work. Now, simply blaming it on the design, is a little too far-fetched,” he said, asserting that all construction works should be stopped and the “crime scene” be sealed to ensure a fair investigation into the debacle.