Owner of Engineering Firm Arrested for Financial Misconduct in Highway Project

Arrest of Mukesh Jalan in Jorhat

Jorhat, Dec 31: Mukesh Jalan, who heads Sadguru Engineering & Allied Services Private Limited, was apprehended by a police team in Guwahati during the early hours of Tuesday. He faces allegations of financial misconduct and failing to pay local contractors involved in the construction of the four-lane National Highway 715 (previously NH 37) project in the region.

Sources indicate that Jalan's arrest followed a formal complaint lodged at the Teok police station by local contractors who had provided materials and labor for the project.

The arrest was made after a case was filed at the Teok police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), prompted by complaints from sub-contractors working on the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) project.

The sub-contractors claimed that the construction company abandoned the site without completing the work and allegedly owes them around Rs 4 crore.

Despite multiple meetings earlier this year, chaired by the District Commissioner and attended by NHIDCL and company representatives, the issue remained unresolved, leaving the sub-contractors without their payments.

Currently, Jalan has been taken to the Teok police station, where further investigations are underway.

Student organizations such as AJYCP and AASU, along with other groups, have been protesting for the past three to four years against alleged corrupt practices, poor work quality, and delays in the project, which have caused significant inconvenience for travelers on this crucial route in Upper Assam.