Sub-standard quality road of Rs 2.30 cr got washed away?

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad, Oct 4:

The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) constructed a tar road by spending Rs 2.30 crore from Mahatma Gandhi Statue (in Shahgunj) to the intersection opposite Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum (Labour Colony), seven years ago. The new tar road of length 1300 metres was built in 2014. However, it is alleged that the contractor failed to construct the road as per the parameters prescribed in the tender. As a result, it got washed away after one and a half years of its construction due to substandard quality.

The AMC had also appointed Devgiri Consultants as project advisor to ensure the quality of the constructed road. The charges to pay were fixed to Rs 4.25 lakh. After tender processing, the contract was awarded to Arora Construction. However, the advisor did not turn up till the completion of the road. Hence the task was completed under the guidance of the AMC officials.

After one and a half years, the road got washed away due to poor quality of construction and deep potholes were formed on the road, claimed the residents. In the last seven years, the AMC could not find an occasion to fill up the potholes and make the road motorable. There is huge traffic density on the road. It is used by light motor vehicles, autorickshaws and two-wheelers in large numbers daily.

The residents also grieved that the clogging of rainwater on the road is common in monsoon. In the name of the stormwater drain, one pipeline was laid on one side of the road, but due to the absence of a proper outlet, the wastewater is unable to release further in the nearby nullah. The contractor was responsible for constructing footpaths on both sides of the road, but the paving blocks are fixed in patches. The blocks were not fixed where there were encroachments.

Fund diverted under the aegis of 'savings'

According to sources, the AMC officials diverted the leftover fund to utilise it for the development of road beyond Barapulla Gate. The civic officials claimed that the condition of this road is good, therefore, tarring was not done. Hence the fund was projected as savings from the work. The AMC's junior engineer B K Pardeshi, deputy engineer Qamar Shaikh and city engineer M D Sonawane were responsible for clearing the bills of the said work.

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The road falls in Lota Karanja ward as well as Harshnagar ward. The past corporators were Khalil Khan and Shobha Mitkar. The road work was completed at Rs 2.30 crore. As per the tender norms, the contractor was responsible to have to create a bed by digging the road through JCB to lay crushed stone or rubbles (sub-grade). Then it has to put the first layer of WMM; the second layer of BM (Tar); the third layer of DBM (one more layer of tar) and lastly a final layer of BC (tar).