Digboi, Sept. 16 -- The much-hyped Assam Mala project, launched in the name of development and better road connectivity, has turned into a nightmare for the people of upper Assam. Instead of progress, the road from Digboi to Mohong via Pengaree-Bordumsa has been marred by irregularities, substandard work, and shocking negligence - costing lives and destroying families.

Barely days after Kakopathar's Dibrujan Mahant was crushed to death by a grader engaged in the project, another tragedy has struck.

On September 14, 19-year-old Daulat Phukan of Pengaree fell from a scooter and crashed into the exposed structure of an under-construction culvert at Bapapung. There were no barricades, no warning signs, and no protective measures at the site...