BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 16th February 2025: The construction of market sheds in Charilam Bazar was halted today afternoon as traders raised serious allegations of substandard work and misappropriation of materials.
According to sources, contractor Pradip Debnath from Bishalgarh was awarded a contract worth 2.5 crore by the Agriculture Department for constructing sheds in the market.
However, traders alleged that Debnath was using subpar materials, and the sheds were on the verge of collapsing due to weak construction.
On Saturday afternoon, the Charilam Bazar Traders’ Committee, led by President Chandan Bhowmik and secretary Madhab Dutta, along with other traders, stopped the construction work. They accused the contractor of siphoning off allocated materials and working with makeshift double claps instead of proper reinforcements.
In his defense, contractor Pradip Debnath stated that he was under pressure from certain ruling party members regarding the project.
He claimed that without adhering to their demands, he would not be able to proceed with the construction, raising concerns over political interference in public infrastructure projects.
The incident has triggered unrest among traders and locals, who are now demanding an official inquiry into the quality of construction and fund allocation.
