GUWAHATI, Aug 1 � Terming as hollow the State Government�s claim of development, public activist Prof Deven Dutta today said that Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and PWD Minister Ajanta Neog would do well to visit different places, especially interior areas of the State and see for themselves the pathetic condition of roads and bridges.
�Let the Chief Minister and the PWD Minister together with bureaucrats and engineers of the PWD department visit different areas and see for themselves the farce being perpetrated on the State�s people in the name of development,� Prof Dutta said in a statement.
Pointing out that even many of the newly repaired or newly laid roads and bridges bore tell-tale signs of gross compromise on quality, Prof Dutta said that the entire scenario was utterly depressing and strongly indicative of large-scale corruption with tacit approval of the bureaucratic and political bigwigs of the department.
Prof Dutta said that many roads were too narrow to allow crossing of two vehicles over the bituminous portion, while many of the newly-laid roads developed cracks and potholes.
�The meeting point of a road and a bridge rarely follows the scientific norms of angle and gradient, which has been a major factor behind the spurt in fatal road mishaps across the State, causing large-scale deaths. Similar is the case with speed-breakers that are often left unmarked in violation of well-laid-down norms,� Prof Dutta said, adding that none of the MLAs deem it fit to raise those issues of vital public interest in the State Assembly.
Citing an example, Prof Dutta said that the Maran-Rajgarh-Tingkhang-Naharkatia-Duliajan Road which was recently repaired was still bad in patches and had a number of pools and bridges left half-done, resulting in severe inconvenience for the commuters besides damage to the vehicles.
Prof Dutta said that it was high time that the Government acknowledged the ground reality and refrained from tom-toming its perceived achievements. �Unless the Government exhibits a genuine commitment for effecting development in the real sense of the term, Assam will continue with its downward slide,� he said.
