Digboi: Sensations and fear grip the pedestrians, including the school students at Jasoda area in Digboi of Assam, caused by exposed reinforcement bars protruding out of a half-constructed drain along the busy road.
A local contractor, under the supervision of a PWD engineer, has been constructing a 150-meter-long drain along a busy road near a shopping mall and Balika Vidya Mandir, but they have left the work incomplete for several months.
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Leaving half-constructed drains with exposed (naked) rods poses several hazardous risks, including physical Injury or impalement, especially to school-going children or pedestrians. Workers or passersby may trip and fall, leading to serious injuries.
“One of the children had a narrow escape falling in the drain recently,” informed one of the barbers facing the drain.
When contacted for media evaluation, the Assistant Engineer assigned to monitor the government project ironically refused to share the technical specifications of the project, saying, “I have no knowledge about it, I have to check.”
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Concern has also been raised about the engagement of an incompetent engineer by the Department of PWD to oversee the project.
According to allegations brought about by the local shopkeepers and nearby residents, the hazardous drain without cover at certain points poses a potential risk stemed out of gross negligence of the executing agency and the contractor concerned.
Moreover, the corrosion of naked rods to weather conditions leads to rust, which weakens their structural integrity and reduces the strength of the final construction, thus compromising the durability and safety of the drain or structure when completed.
According to residents closeby to the half-constructed drain also posed environmental and Sanitation Issues as the drain became a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other pests, increasing the risk of diseases like dengue or malaria.
The people urged the district administration to immediately expedite construction or ensure the temporary closure of unfinished structures for public safety.