Hole truth: Contractors are potholing roads

Hole truth: Contractors are potholing roads
HC-Appointed Panel Says Norms Flouted In Awarding Tenders, Laying Roads
The Times of India

Bangalore: Ever wondered why that newly laid road crumbles in no time? Blame contractors who have flouted all norms.

Roads which carry heavy density traffic do not have a thickness of 70 mm (50 mm of bituminous macadam and 20 mm of mixed seal slurry). If a road has to endure rain and traffic, this thickness is mandatory. This is just one of the innumerable ways in which tax-payers’ money is drained, according to the voluminous report on roads prepared by a high court-appointed panel.

Sample this: For a small hamletlike area near Binny Mills off Magadi road, which does not have heavy traffic movement, BMP engineers have recommended giving it ‘BMMS treatment’ (bituminous macadam and mixed seal surface), something done for a road like M G Road, Hosur Road or Airport Road. Whereas roads with passenger carriage units of over 10,000 have flimsy surfaces necessitating bi-monthly maintenance.

Capt Raja Rao, who chaired the panel that prepared the report for the high court, says engineers have forgotten the fundamentals of engineering. The report states: “The quality of material used and the quality of road work carried out in the wards is not meeting the norms laid out by the Indian Road Congress.’’

The malaise is traced to the way tenders are awarded; a contractor bagging a tender seals the fate of any developmental project. Check out the modus operandi for the last few tenders and contracts: For a particular project, 47 package tenders were called for: 340 bid documents were out, 57 bids received, 40 evaluated as good and finally 29 single tenders called.

Says Capt Raja Rao: “We’re not getting competent people bidding for road works because contract awarders’ intention is to help the chelas. They often call only for short-term tenders, why is this done? People have colluded in getting a tender for a fund-heavy project. Only one man or agency has monopoly over the engineering works, therefore there is no question of keen competition.’’

Specs for good road
Bitumen macadam — 41% Mix Seal — 10% Chip-carpet — 27 per cent
The third party appointed by the BMP which was supposed to take up 5,277 tests and samples, has done only 556 tests.