Poor quality construction forces contractor to excavate road near Apex Hospital

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

In the city, crores of rupees are being spent on constructing smooth cement roads. Despite complaints regarding the quality of these works, officials and staff seem indifferent to the issues raised. Recently, the municipal corporation unexpectedly dug up the cement road in front of Saint Francis De-Sales High School on Jalna Road, specifically in the Basaiyyenagar-Vyankateshnagar area.

The excavated cement debris has been left on the site, causing significant inconvenience to motorists who are facing difficulties while navigating the area. Residents and commuters are expressing frustration over this haphazard approach to road maintenance and the lack of accountability from the municipal authorities.

Poor condition of the road in front of Apex Hospital

The road in front of Apex Hospital has been in extremely poor condition. Eight months ago, the municipal administration decided to undertake repairs, and tenders were issued for the work, costing over Rs 60 lakh. The project was awarded to Balaji Construction, which started the work seven months ago. Recently, during a site visit by Municipal Administrator G Sreekanth and other senior officials for another project in the area, it was observed that the road surface had deteriorated significantly. The officials ordered the contractor to excavate and repair the damaged sections immediately. However, the contractor has been delaying the work for a long time. Finally, on Monday, a portion of the road was dug up, but the debris left behind was not cleared by the contractor. As a result, residents have reported significant inconvenience, as motorists are struggling to navigate the area due to the ongoing disarray.

How did the surface deteriorate?

With ongoing work on crores of rupees worth of cement roads, municipal officials seem to be absent from the site. The contractor appears to be working according to their own preferences. The deterioration of the road surface suggests that the materials specified in Schedule B were not used, and quality inspections by officials were lacking. If the administrator or other officials had not inspected the road, the contractor might not have faced the necessity to excavate it at all.

Official's Statement

The municipal corporation’s executive engineer B D Phad said, "There are some issues with a section of the road in front of the Apex Hospital. We have instructed the contractor to excavate and redo that part. This is a regular procedure. The work will be completed soon, and the deadline for the related work has not yet expired."