Contractors digging roads beyond permissible limits will face action: Civic Chief

Aurangabad, Nov 6:

The municipal commissioner Astik Kumar Pandey took a contractor to task while he was digging a road for laying CCTV cameras cable network, on the road opposite to Maulana Azad Research Centre, today morning. The civic chief expressed his disappointment and then gave him a demonstration on how and up to what extent the contractors should undertake to dig out roads.

The mobile companies, BSNL, MSEDCL or private contractors approach the AMC for permission to dig roads to lay underground cables in different parts of the city. It is a general practice that the AMC grants permission after collecting necessary charges from them. However, after obtaining permissions, the contractors appointed by the companies start digging the important roads beyond permissible limits, and after completing the work, leave the unevenly surfaced road, without repairing it.

Presently, fixing of CCTV cameras in different corners of the city is underway under the Smart City project. As a result, the contractor approved by the AMC is digging the roads for laying underground cables. Accordingly, the contractor is digging the important roads, but the paving blocks fixed on the sides of the roads are getting damaged into pieces. The newspaper published an incident which took place on T V Centre road. Pandey took serious cognizance of the issue.

Today, he caught red-handed a contractor while digging a road opposite Maulana Azad Research Centre, in the morning. The civic chief found that to lay the CCTV cable of width 1.6 inches, the contractor was digging a trench 2-feet deep. Pandey permitted him to dig the road for six inches (deep) only, but the contractor said that it is not possible.

The civic chief then called two AMC''s contractors and labourers and showed him by digging a trench six inches deep. He also guided him on how to repair the road using advanced technology after completion of the work.

The municipal commissioner then fixed the parameters for digging of roads to lay underground cables. He clarified that it should be done in the prescribed and approved manner only. He threatened to take action if anybody violates the AMC norms.

Meanwhile, the civic chief''s decision has shocked the AMC officers and engineers as they would now have to remain alert and active in future and keep an eye on the companies whenever the digging of roads to lay cables are undertaken.