Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Aug 16: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against Border Roads Organization’s project BEACON for using sub-standard material in the construction of vital border road in Toot Mari Gali (TMG) sector of the Line of Control (LoC).
The case was registered after 3 months of preliminary investigations by the country’s premier investigating agency. The case was registered against senior officers of the 9 RCC including its OC Yuraj, AE Civil Kartik, JE Civil P W Rao and AE S C Bamblee.
The 16 kilometer road from village Chotipora in Handwara to TMG sector was started in 2010 and was to be completed in 2013 but, sources said, so far only 15 percent work has been done while rest is pending.
The road is a vital defence road as it connects TMG or Nowgam sector with the national highway at Handwara. The Nowgam sector is the major infiltration route and army has Brigade headquarter at TMG and this road is life line for them. This road also leads to Bangas valley which is coming up as new tourist destination.
The road was already macadamized and the project was aimed at widening the road. Sources said that Rs 100 crore has already been paid as compensation to those whose land was acquired for widening of the road.
There were several complaints with the CBI against the BEACON for using sub-standard construction material in this 16 kilometer patch. Sources said that one of the complaints is that instead of using stone soling on the widened part of the road, they have done earth filling.
Sources said that the CBI was conducting investigations into the complaints for the last three months and have taken samples of the construction material used by the BEACON.
The CBI has seized documents regarding the road construction and master rolls of the BEACON used for local labour as there is also allegation that the master rolls are being faked.
This is not for the first time that the case has been registered by CBI against BEACON for using sub-standard material in the construction of border roads. Earlier CBI registered cases against 109 RCC that constructs roads in North Kashmir’s Kupwara borders. There were allegations that the BEACON was using sub-standard material in the road construction of vital defence roads, mostly used by army, in Kupwara.
When Chief Engineer BEACON, Brigadier A K Das, was contacted for his comments, he expressed his ignorance on the registration of case by the CBI.
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