- Wednesday, April 24, 2024
The contractor who constructed the road reportedly said to use German technology but residents soon discovered that it was not true.
By: Shubham Ghosh
Stories related to corruption are not new in India but recently, a video surfaced on social media showing villagers in Jalna district of the western state of Maharashtra ‘lifting’ a newly laid road with their bare hands, leaving netizens shocked.
The 38-second clip shows a carpet-like material placed below the road, which has been constructed by a local contractor. In the video, the villagers are heard criticising the work by a local contractor and called the work “bogus” as they held the material below the road.
Is it a road? Is it a carpet? Is it 40% govt? 🤔
Jalna, Maharashtra.
pic.twitter.com/lr6L5FZvdO— Cow Momma (@Cow__Momma) May 31, 2023
According to a report by Free Press Journal, the incident happened in Karjat-Hast Pokhari, part of Ambad taluka in Jalna district. It said the road work was carried out as part of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (prime minister rural road scheme) with the involvement of a contractor. The report claimed that the contractor said to use German technology for the road’s construction but residents soon discovered that it was not true and a mere makeshift solution was applied.
The angry villagers sought action against the engineer who approved the shoddy work, said Free Press Journal.
In conventional road construction, a mixture of gravel, sand and compacted soil is used for durability. In recent years, engineers have started using concrete to ensure that roads last even longer.
In recent times, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the former ruling party of the southern state of Karnataka, has been accused of allowing government officials demand 40 per cent commission for state projects after contractors came up with a massive protest against several government officials alleging such corrupt practices.
