HT Correspondent
JORHAT, May 20: The police have registered a case at Teok PS (Case No 93/2023) U/S 188/304/34 IPC R/W Sec 51(b)/55(2)/58(2) of DM Act 2005, on Friday, against those responsible for negligence leading to the accident and drowning in the Jagduar rivulet of an ONGC employee at Jagduar in the district on Wednesday night.
Jorhat SP RL Meena said that questioning of those found guilty of negligence would begin from Saturday.
Jorhat district administration on Thursday had filed an FIR at the Teok police station against NHIDCL authorities after an inquiry ordered by the District Magistrate following the death of an ONGC official Bhaskat Jyoti Batman (36) in a road accident late on Wednesday night reportedly found lapses on the part of the NHIDCL for not undertaking proper safety and protective measures to avoid road mishaps as directed by the District Magistrate in February this year.
A district administration official stated that the District Magistrate had constituted a four-member team, headed by Teok revenue circle officer Sauvik Bhuyan, after Barman, of Bamunimaidam, Guwahati, lost his life as the vehicle he was driving fell into the half-constructed bridge on the Jagduar rivulet at National Highway-715 at Teok, in Jorhat district late on Wednesday night.
The vehicle Barman was driving was a Toyota Etios Car which had registration number AS 06 P 9587. He was reportedly travelling to Jorhat from Nazira in Sivasagar district.
The FIR urged the officer-in-charge of Teok PS to conduct inquiry into the matter and initiate action as per law.
A reliable source stated that the mishap happened at 11:30 pm allegedly due to lack of proper signages and other safety and security measures for commuters/public to be undertaken as ordered by the District Magistrate to avoid accidents in view of construction works of four-lane project of the said national highway being underway.
It may mentioned here that the District Magistrate in his order on February, 2023 had expressed concern that departments/agencies engaged in construction of four-lane highways and other national/state highways in the district were not taking proper protective measures during carrying out of construction works of roads by keeping the nearby digging sites/side-drains/culverts open without doing any barricading, putting up warning signage thereby causing severe inconvenience to commuters and public while passing through these roads.
