The Madhya Pradesh High Court, while hearing a petition filed by a construction company that has challenged being blacklisted by the Madhya Pradesh government over the infamous right-angle railway overbridge in Bhopal, has remarked that “somebody’s head would roll” now that the “scapegoat is out”.
Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf were hearing the matter when the Madhya Pradesh government, which is a respondent in the case, prayed for additional time.
Chief Justice Sachdeva orally remarked, “Blacklisting cannot sustain in view of the report; rather, the blacklisting had to go.”
“We will give you as much time as you want. But why should he (the company) suffer the blacklist? Now you have to withdraw this order. Because somebody’s head has to roll now that this scapegoat is out. Somebody’s head will roll,” he said.
During the previous hearing, the court was told the bend in the bridge was actually at an angle of 118-119 degrees. An expert opined that the angle of the turn at the site is comparable to the general arrangement drawing (GAD). In view of the findings, the Madhya Pradesh government had sought time from the court to reconsider its decision against the company, M/s Puneet Chadha.
The company had approached the High Court after the government blacklisted it amid the controversy and backlash over the bridge.
According to the petitioner’s lawyer, advocate Praveen Dubey, it got the contract for the construction of a flyover in Aishbagh in 2021-22. The GAD of the bridge was issued by a government agency, and work was to be completed in 18 months.
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The GAD was amended between 2023 and 2024, and the bridge was constructed under the supervision of the government agency, said the petitioner.
However, the images of the bridge with a sharp turn went viral on social media, drawing ridicule and criticism that it could cause accidents. The government then formed a five-member committee to investigate the matter.
As reported by The Indian Express, there was a lack of coordination between the state government and the Railways in the matter, the probe committee found. It also noted that the rail track passes under the bend on the bridge. Besides, the pillars of the overpass have not been installed at the prescribed distance, it said.
The petitioner claimed that the government blacklisted it based on the report of the probe committee without giving it an opportunity for a hearing.
