The construction began in 2015 when PWD Secretary Ashwani Kumar was not a part of the department. (IE)
A report by the Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) has said that the Barapullah Phase III project which was slated for October 27, 2017, completion will now be delayed by at least ”three-five years”. The report also alleged that the ” inaction” by PWD secretary Ashwani Kumar for the delay. It also states that this delay will lead to a massive escalation of cost. The construction began in 2015 when PWD Secretary Ashwani Kumar was not a part of the department.
The report further said, ” in terms of pollution caused by excessive burning of fuel, loss of man-hours, inconvenience caused to commuters due to road congestion and project cost escalation would be enormous”. The project is delayed due to acquisition of 8.5 acres of land. The report noted that only after a joint inspection in May 2015 was it found that “some land which was assumed as DDA land was actually privately owned and needed to be acquired”.
The report blamed the “stalemate” on the “inaction on the part of Principal Secretary, PWD, Ashwani Kumar and the Land & Buildings Department, GNCTD” and said the situation was “…the same as it was 14 months ago”. According to Kumar, he and his department tried several options to acquire the land in question. The report notes that the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) of the project was awarded “after full two years of inertia” in October 2017 to the “School of Human Ecology, Ambedkar University”, in spite of it being “mandatory under the new Act”.
