Jorhat contractor arrested for financial irregularities in national highway work
Jorhat police arrested Mukesh Jalan in Guwahati for allegedly defaulting Rs 4 crore to contractors in the NH-715 project amid protests over delays
National Highway 715 (Photo - @AbadaanB / X)
Jorhat, Dec 31: Mukesh Jalan, the owner of Sadguru Engineering & Allied Services Private Limited, was arrested by a Jorhat Police team from Guwahati in the early hours on Tuesday on charges of financial irregularities and default of payment to local contractors in the ongoing construction of the four-lane National Highway 715 (formerly NH 37) project in the district.
According to a sources, Jalan was arrested following the lodging of an FIR at the Teok police station in the district by local contractors recently who reportedly supplied materials and workers.
Jalan has been arrested after a case was registered at the Teok police station under Sections 316(5)/318(4)/351(3)/3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) following filing of the complaint by the sub-contractors engaged in the project of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
The sub-contractors alleged that the construction firm, without completing the project, abandoned the site and allegedly owed about Rs 4 crore to them.
They alleged that despite several meetings held earlier this year under the chairmanship of the District Commissioner, attended by NHIDCL and company authorities to come to a settlement, the matter remained unresolved as the sub-contractors did not receive their dues.
Meanwhile, Jalan has been brought to Teok police station and further investigation is on.
Students’ bodies like AJYCP, AASU and several other organizations have been protesting since the past three/ four years against such alleged malpractices, inferior quality of work and delay in the execution of the project resulting in a lot of difficulties for commuters while travelling through the key road of Upper Assam.