HT Digital
AGARTALA, Mar 25: Government projects in Tripura, particularly in key departments such as the Public Works Department (PWD), Drinking Water & Sanitation (DWS), and the Agartala Smart City project, are facing severe challenges due to a lack of oversight and rampant corruption. Reports indicate that contractor agencies are being forced to pay a 10-20% commission as bribes to local tender mafias, political brokers, and corrupt officials, including engineering personnel. As a result, project quality has deteriorated significantly, and most projects are failing to meet their deadlines.
Despite clear regulations mandating transparency, project sites often lack signboards displaying essential details such as project costs, the executing agency, timelines, and expected completion dates. These signboards are legally required to ensure public accountability, yet contractors and government officials continue to flout these rules without any consequences. This failure to uphold transparency has allowed corruption to thrive unchecked.
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One of the most glaring examples was witnessed in Dasda, Kanchanpur, where a newly constructed concrete bridge collapsed within days of completion. The bridge, built at a considerable cost, was meant to serve the region for years but failed almost immediately due to substandard materials and poor supervision.
Instead of taking corrective action, the PWD Engineering Division in Kanchanpur is reportedly trying to cover up the incident. No official investigation has been launched to determine whether construction adhered to government norms or followed proper guidelines. Instead, authorities are engaged in blame-shifting, further exposing the systemic and deep-rooted issues within the state’s infrastructure projects.
This is not an isolated case. Corruption and transparency issues plague most government projects in Tripura, affecting roads, bridges, and public infrastructure. Many projects are abandoned midway, while others are completed with inferior materials, posing significant safety hazards.
Local citizens and opposition parties have repeatedly raised concerns about the lack of accountability in government departments. They have called for strict monitoring and legal action against corrupt officials and contractors. However, to date, no concrete steps have been taken to address these pressing issues.
If the government fails to act swiftly, Tripura’s development projects will continue to suffer, and public funds will be wasted on unsafe and substandard infrastructure. Without strict enforcement of transparency and accountability, the state’s progress will remain stalled, leaving citizens to bear the consequences of institutionalized corruption.
