Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked the Modi government over alleged "glaring infirmities" in the Pragati Maidan tunnel project, saying the 'Amrit Kaal' of the corrupt is prevailing.He also criticised the prime minister for focusing more on 'modeling' instead of 'planning' in every development project. Rahul also asserted that agencies like the ED, CBI, and IT are not combatting corruption but democracy. Along with the post, he shared a photo of Modi taken after the inauguration of the tunnel. In a post on X in Hindi, Gandhi said, "The 'Amrit Kaal' of the corrupt is prevailing in the country." "The Pragati Maidan Tunnel, built at a cost of Rs 777 crore, became unusable in just one year. The prime minister is doing 'modeling' instead of 'planning' on every development project," he said.
"And ED, CBI, IT are not fighting corruption but democracy," the former Congress chief said and shared a photo of Modi after the inauguration of the tunnel.
In June 2022, PM Modi had inaugurated the 1.3-km-long tunnel and five underpasses as part of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project that aims to ease connectivity between central Delhi with the eastern parts of the city and the satellite towns of Noida and Ghaziabad.
The Delhi government's Public Works Department (PWD) has issued a notice to Larsen and Toubro over the alleged "glaring infirmities" in the project while demanding a "token amount" of Rs 500 crore from the firm and directing it to immediately initiate repair work. Larsen and Toubro has said that they have made a counterclaim of Rs 500 crore against the PWD.
The 1.3-kilometre-long tunnel of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project has faced recurrent closures due to waterlogging since Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened it on June 19, 2022. These closures have exposed significant flaws within the project, as highlighted in recent notices, raising concerns about its resilience and long-term viability. In 2023, the tunnel witnessed multiple closures due to waterlogging. Experts now believe that a proper multi-team safety audit is required before any possible overhaul. Continuous water seepage can pose a catastrophic danger to any structure made of concrete and TMT bars, whether it's a high-rise, flyover, or underpass.
