UP: Rampath Road Collapse Sparks Suspension of Six Engineers

Ayodhya, 29th June 2024: The Uttar Pradesh state government has taken a decisive stance on the recent collapse of Rampath, a project constructed with a budget of Rs 844 crore, which succumbed to damage during the first rain. This incident has raised serious questions about the quality of the construction work.

In response, two executive engineers, two assistant engineers, and two junior engineers from the Public Works Department (PWD) and Jal Nigam (urban) have been suspended. Additionally, a notice has been sent to Gujarat’s implementing agency, M/s Bhugan Infracon Private Limited, responsible for the construction.

Among those suspended are Executive Engineer Dhruv Agarwal, Assistant Engineer Anuj Deshwal, and Junior Engineer Prabhat Kumar Pandey from PWD, along with Executive Engineer Anand Kumar Dubey, Assistant Engineer Rajendra Kumar Yadav, and Junior Engineer Mohd. Shahid from Jal Nigam. The Chief Engineer of the Lucknow region of Jal Nigam has been appointed as the investigating officer and is directed to submit a report by July 30.

According to the order issued by Special Secretary of the Public Works Department Vinod Kumar, the surface of the newly constructed Rampath road was severely damaged during the rains from June 22 to June 25 in Ayodhya. The order emphasized that negligence and indifference in executing a high-priority government project resulted in both financial loss and damage to the government’s reputation among the public. Consequently, the suspension of Executive Engineer Dhruv Agarwal and Assistant Engineer Anuj Deshwal, responsible for serious irregularities, was enacted immediately.

The construction of Rampath, with a budget of Rs 844 crore, began on January 24, 2023. The project was divided into three phases: the first phase covering Ayodhya Dham (from Naya Ghat to Ram Mandir) 4.5 km, the second phase from Ayodhya Dham to Circuit House (3 km), and the final phase from Circuit House to Sahadatganj Bypass (5.4 km).

While the first two phases were completed on schedule, an expedited order was issued to finish the construction before the grand Deepotsav program in Ayodhya on November 11, 2023. Consequently, the work from Circuit House to Sahadatganj was rushed and completed by December 30, 2023, 120 days ahead of the scheduled timeline. Reports of construction negligence began to surface shortly after the project’s completion.