Hidco, an agency run by the West Bengal government, has written to the state PWD informing it that cracks have appeared on the roof of the six-storeyed car parking facility in southwest Kolkata’s Alipore, which was inaugurated by chief minister Mamata Banerjee on January 9.
The cracks have triggered allegations about the quality of materials used in the construction and workmanship.
While Hidco is the custodian of the multi-level car parking facility, called Somponno, the project was executed by the PWD.
“This is a prestigious project of the government. It will obviously be uncomfortable for it if questions are raised over the quality of construction within a couple of months of its unveiling by the chief minister,” said a senior state government official.
On March 2, an additional general manager of Hidco had written to the executive engineer of the PWD’s Alipore division informing him that cracks had appeared on the roof of Somponno, leading to seepage of water.
“I therefore request you to take necessary measures to stop such percolation (of water) at an early date,” reads the letter.
Built at a cost of Rs 50 crore, the facility can accommodate around 400 vehicles.
Asked about the cracks, PWD minister Pulak Roy said: “I’m not aware of any such letter.” Senior officials of the PWD, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was a new building and such seepage clearly indicated that the construction was not up to the mark.
The PWD executes development projects on behalf of other state departments because it is believed to have the strongest engineering set-up.
“The chief minister had recently raised several questions about the activities of the department in review meetings held in districts. It now appears the questions are valid. It is clear that the department is not being run properly,” said a source in the government.
An engineer of the PWD said they had noticed the seepage of water. “We have already taken up the necessary work to resolve the issue,” said the PWD engineer.
The controller of vagrancy had recently informed the PWD that a three-storeyed vagrants’ home in Howrah was in a shambles within eight months of its inauguration. That project, too, was handled by the PWD.
A section of officials said shoddy construction led to questions about whether contractors were being forced to compromise on quality.
“Several complaints are coming against road projects in districts. According to the complaints, contractors are having to pay a handsome amount in cut money, as a result of which the quality of the roads is not up to the mark. If the construction of a prestigious project is also compromised, it sends a bad message,” an official said.