A resident of Garo Hills has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) before the Meghalaya High Court in connection with the recent collapse of a portion of the PA Sangma Stadium in Tura.
Amit R. Marak in his PIL has sought the High Court’s intervention for a detailed investigation into the causes that led to the collapse and also to fix responsibility to all those involved.
During the hearing of the PIL today, the division bench of the High Court directed for serving notices to various authorities of the State government in connection with the matter.
The court also directed the supervising agency of the project to indicate the contractual specifications that may not have been followed and the period of warranty during which the contractor is required to set right anything found remiss.
In the meantime, the High Court directed the State government to clear the debris from the road alongside the stadium which appears to be blocked and causing serious problems to local residents.
The next hearing on the PIL will be held on July 6.
The collapse of the retaining wall of the iconic stadium on June 22 has raised questions about the quality of work and the structural safety of the entire stadium.
The stadium was constructed by Badri Rai Constructions (BRC) which is also the same company which constructed the Assembly building at Mawdiangdiang here whose dome came crashing last year.
The stadium was built at a cost of Rs 127.7 crore. It was inaugurated by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma before the Assembly elections in December 2022 even before the project was fully completed.
Recently, BJP leader and GHADC MDC from Tura, Bernard N. Marak has sought a high level independent inquiry committee into the collapse of the stadium wall.
However, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that the collapse of the retaining wall of the stadium was due to a blockage in the drainage systems.
