MUMBAI: The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance partner NCP raised serious questions over the quality of work on the Rs 7,000 crore missing link on the Mumbai— Pune highway and demanded a high-level probe by IIT-level experts.
NCP MLA Sanjay Bansod in his letter to the Maharashtra State Assembly, stated that the missing link at the Mumbai-Pune highway was inaugurated with much fanfare, but its entrance portions broke in with a rain that raisesd serious questions about this missing link tunnel’s safety and technical capability.
The NCP leader said that the missing link tunnel part collapsed due to the absence of a drainage system that shows the negligence and lapses in the technical part of this mega project.
“Prima facie, it also looks that the project management consultant and contractors have not carried out their work properly, and that resulted in the breaking of the entrance part of the missing link tunnel in the first heavy rain only. The material used for this project also seems to be of inferior quality. It also raises questions over the use of quality cement concrete, waterproofing, inspection of joints, study of rock and design pattern of this project, hydrostatic pressure and slope stabilisation. This is a serious matter and playing with the lives of thousands of people who travel by this Mumbai—Pune road,” stated Bansod in his letter.
He said that the safety and other required tests were not carried out, and this missing link tunnel was inaugurated and opened hurriedly.
“The cost of this project was also unnecessarily escalated and inflated. This is nothing but the loot of government and honest taxpayers’ money. That has to be stopped, and immediate inspections need to be carried out for the safety of the people. There is anger in society for such poor infrastructure work; therefore, the contractors should be held responsible and punished. Besides, the cost of the repair should be recovered from the contractors as part of the defect liability period. The government officers who are involved in this work, their liability and responsibility should also be fixed, and strict actions should be taken against them as well,” Bansod said.
