Bhubaneswar Airport Building Roof Collapse: Opp Cries Foul Over Contract To Dillip Constructions

Bhubaneswar: The Opposition on Monday demanded a probe into the awarding of contract to Dillip Constructions Pvt Ltd. to construct the link building at Biju Patnaik International Airport, where a mishap occurred last week.

Briefing mediapersons here, spokesperson of the BJP state unit Golak Mohapatra said while the Airport Authority of India (AAI) on its website has mentioned that it has ordered a temporary stay on Dillip Constructions, how come the company was given permission to construct the new building?

He further said that Dillip Constructions has been awarded a number of contracts in several places including Puri and the construction of a new bus terminal at Haladiapadar in Berhampur. However, the quality of construction has been found to be inferior. “Despite the poor construction, who awarded the contract to this company for the construction of the airport building? The investigation will reveal the real villain behind the scene,” Mohapatra pointed out.

In his reaction, senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik said the state government has to be careful as the construction company has taken up a number of repair works in Shree Jagannath Temple. “Leave alone Odisha, there is a rule of the contractors in the county as of now,” he said.

Expressing doubt over  action to be taken against the construction company, Niranjan said: “These contractors have managed to escape punishment as they are protected by bureaucrats.”

Meanwhile, the authorities at Biju Patnaik International Airport said a two-member team has completed the preliminary investigation and will submit a report to AAI very soon.