HC chides govt over 7-yr Amravati flyover delay
Taking serious note of the issue, a division bench of Justices Nitin Sambre and Sachin Deshmukh summoned Amravati's PWD chief engineer to appear in person along with complete records related to the project at 2.30pm on Thursday.
A court was hearing a PIL (No. 47 of 2025) filed by Sunil Deshmukh, a doctor and former Amravati guardian minister, highlighting the inconvenience caused to citizens due to the incomplete flyover.
The Rs60 crore project was sanctioned on March 10, 2016, and the original completion deadline was set for January 3, 2020, but the work remains incomplete. In response to the PIL, an affidavit was submitted by a sub-divisional engineer — who was not even a party to the petition — instead of a senior officer.
The court strongly objected to this, terming the affidavit as "unauthorised and evasive". "Instead of a responsible official, a junior engineer submitted an affidavit giving assurance that the project will be completed by February 2026.
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This only raises further doubts," the bench remarked. The HC also ordered the PWD secretary to file a fresh affidavit personally, clarifying the current status and revised schedule by the same deadline.
The judges questioned why the state continued with the original contractor despite his failure to deliver the project. "When the contractor accepted the assignment, he was aware of the site's challenges and congestion.
Yet, the authorities chose not to take any punitive action against him. We fail to understand what prompted such leniency," the court said.
The reasons cited for the delay — Covid-19 and site congestion — were rejected by the bench as inadequate. The judges noted that the work only resumed after an earlier HC order and even then, progress was unsatisfactory.
The judges, visibly irate over the lack of progress despite repeated court orders, called the delay "unjustified and shocking" and sharply criticised the state's handling of the Rs60 crore project.
"You should have terminated this contract long ago. Don't make a mockery of the system by filing such vague affidavits," they orally said. They directed that the flyover be completed within three months and warned of consequences if the timeline is not adhered to.
Key takeaways HC's order
- The delay of over seven years in flyover completion was termed "shocking" and "unjustified"
- Affidavit filed by a junior engineer was criticised as "unauthorised" and "evasive"
- Questioned why the original contractor was not removed despite consistent underperformance
- Covid and congestion cited as reasons but were dismissed as inadequate by the court
- Chief engineer of PWD, Amravati, directed to appear in person with full records
- Secretary of PWD ordered to file a fresh, properly authorised affidavit by 2.30pm on July 17
- Judges indicated continued monitoring of the project until completion
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