3 crore rupees PMGSY road collapses in rain, questions raised over quality of development work in Asansol
Special Correspondent, Asansol: Normal life has been virtually disrupted due to continuous heavy rainfall over the last two days across various parts of West Bengal, including Asansol and the entire Paschim Bardhaman district. Waterlogging in low-lying areas due to continuous rain has caused immense suffering. Local rivers and drains are also overflowing, spreading fresh panic in riverside areas. In some places, rainwater has even entered the residential homes of common people. Amidst this natural calamity, a sensational and alarming incident has come to light from Bhaskajuri in Barabani assembly constituency, under the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency.
It is reported that a massive section of an approximately 80-feet-long pitch road, built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) for the development of rural connectivity, has completely caved in. According to information received from local residents, even a year has not yet been completed since the construction of this road. Yet, before that, a huge portion of the road collapsed abruptly due to the impact of the heavy rains over the past few days.
Local residents have expressed deep anger and alleged that about 3 crore rupees of public funds were spent on constructing this road. However, with the multi-million rupee road caving in within such a short time of its construction, questions have naturally started arising regarding the quality of construction work and the technical methods used in building the road.
Why did the road collapse?
After a massive portion of the road suddenly caved in, the biggest and most burning question has now become—why did a road built at a cost of crores of rupees collapse in such a short time? Is continuous rain and water stagnation alongside the road the only reason, or is there some other deep negligence behind it? Multiple questions are revolving in the minds of the locals:
1. Was the quality of pitch, metal chips, and other construction materials used in making the road actually up to the mark?
2. Was the road constructed strictly following the prescribed technical standards or specifications?
3. Was a proper technical survey of the soil and topography of the concerned area conducted prior to construction?
Surrounding all these logical questions, intense political and social discussions have now begun among local residents.
Growing concerns over underground coal mining
Since the Bhaskajuri area is traditionally known as a coal-belt, a section of conscious citizens is also raising serious questions about potential underground coal mining or the existence of old abandoned coal mines beneath the road. They state that if underground coal mining had taken place illegally or legally beneath that road in the past, or if any hollow spaces or cavities were created underground in an unscientific manner, the possibility of that soil caving in due to continuous rainwater seepage cannot be ruled out in any way.
However, no government or administrative official has yet confirmed whether this exact accident occurred due to underground mining. To find the actual cause, a high-level technical investigation involving expert engineers and geologists is urgently required.
3 crore rupees of public money and crisis of public trust
The importance of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in boosting the rural economy and improving connectivity is immense. This road in Bhaskajuri was built under this project by spending crores of rupees. But with this pathetic condition of the road before even a year of its construction, the transparency and quality of government work have been put in the dock. Locals strongly allege that if inferior materials were intentionally used in road construction or if primary responsibilities like soil testing of the area before starting work were not fulfilled, the entire liability rests upon the concerned contractor agency and responsible officials.
Truth will be revealed through investigation
In the current situation, it has become extremely urgent for high-ranking officials of the concerned Public Works or Rural Development Department to visit the spot promptly. A thorough technical investigation is needed to unearth the cause of the road collapse. Laboratory testing of materials used in road construction, load-bearing capacity of the soil, durability of the road base layer, flaws in the drainage system, and the history of underground coal mining in the area—every aspect needs to be thoroughly examined.
Because this incident is not just an isolated event of 80 feet of road caving in; it involves taxpayers' money worth crores of rupees and the question of public trust in the administration.
Demand for a prompt permanent solution
The affected locals have clearly demanded that all tenders and work documents related to road construction should be made public and an impartial investigation should be conducted. The level at which negligence occurred must be examined, culprits must be identified immediately, and strict legal action should be taken against them. At the same time, they have strongly demanded to repair this road on a war footing immediately to facilitate the movement of common people and find a permanent solution, so that people do not have to face such a disaster again in the coming monsoon season.
All in all, the exact reason behind the road collapse will only become clear after the administrative investigation report is received. However, the incident of a road built at a cost of nearly 3 crore rupees caving in like this during peak monsoon has undoubtedly put the quality of development work in the rural areas of Asansol under a massive question mark.
