CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Thursday sought responses from the State Government and MD of Panda Infraproject Pvt Ltd after hearing a petition which sought an inquiry into the standard of work carried out by the contractor firm in the railway overbridge (ROB) at Jatni.
Acting on a PIL writ petition filed by Bhaskar Bhujbala, Bansidhar Mohanty and Harihar Behera, Khurda, a division bench of the HC comprising Chief Justice Vineet Saran and Justice BR Sarangi issued notice to the State authorities and Pratap Kishore Panda, MD of Panda Infraproject India Pvt. The petition sought judicial review by the HC and enforcement of fundamental rights of the public and safeguarding of property.
The petitioners requested the court for direction to the Government and private firm to break open one of the five pillars (from pier 2 to 6) of the under-construction railway overbridge at Kudiari near Jatni to ascertain the deviation made from the standards prescribed in the agreement as life of people is under threat due to alleged negligence on the part of both parties.
The petition said, it is observed that the contractor Panda Infraprojects (lndia) Pvt Ltd is continuing construction of the piers in complete contravention of agreement and drawing specifications. Piling of pillars from Pipili side has been done up to 20 feet deep from ground level with insertion of sub-standard iron roads and the rest 40 feet were filled up with sub-standard concrete materials, it added.The petitioners said, such deviation in piling work has been carried out in connivance with officials concerned, who have hatched a conspiracy to siphon off public money endangering life and property of the public.