The incomplete flyover at Bhangagarh. Picture by Eastern Projections

July 31: An exasperated chief minister Tarun Gogoi has asked Guwahati development minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to intervene and speed up the construction of the two flyovers at Bhangagarh and Six Mile.

A government official said the chief minister, who holds the PWD portfolio, has taken a stern view of the fact that the public works department has already missed the deadline of completion of the flyovers.

He has also sought a detailed report about the reasons for the delay from the PWD and Simplex Piles Limited, the firm constructing the flyovers.

“Since the chief minister has not allocated the PWD portfolio to any of his ministers, he asked the Guwahati development minister to intervene and see what has gone wrong with the process of construction of the flyovers. Sarma has been asked to clear the hurdles in the way of the construction of the flyovers,” the official said.

After laying the foundation stones of the two flyovers on September 16, 2005 Gogoi had directed the PWD to complete the flyovers within 18 months.

The PWD had awarded the contract for the construction of the two flyovers to Simplex Piles Limited at a total cost of Rs 90 crore.

Both the PWD and Simplex Piles Limited have prepared a report to be submitted to the chief minister related to the slow progress in construction of the flyovers.

Delay in releasing necessary funds, legal hassle in case of Six Mile flyover and certain technical difficulties are the reasons that both organisations have attributed to their failure to complete the flyovers on time.

Sources said the chief minister has entrusted Sarma to take the final decision on revised estimates and penalising the contractor for failing to meet the deadline.

But the chances of penalising the contractor are bleak because the non release of funds is the main reason for missing the deadline for the completion of the flyovers.

Gogoi’s instruction has come at a time when residents and traders of the Bhangagarh area have threatened to launch an agitation against the inordinate delay in construction of the flyover.

The city traffic branch has written to the Guwahati development department and the PWD that the delay has aggravated the traffic chaos on GS Road.

The Gauhati Medical College and Hospital expressed concern and said the delay in construction of the Bhangagarh flyover has cause immense inconveniences to both the medical staff and patients.