Why waste money on good roads?

Why waste money on good roads?
HC-Appointed Panel Makes Scathing Observations On Quality Of Work
The Times of India

Bangalore: While there are roads narrow enough to challenge the entry of persons even slightly on the plumper side, there are those which are just fine enough to accommodate a PCU (passenger car unit) strength of 12,000 vehicles.

Yet, the civic bodies choose to revamp and throw crores of rupees on an M G Road, which has been certified as fit-as-fiddle rather than do something on layouts in Kasturinagar or Basaveshwaranagar which require attention. These are just some of the latest findings of the high courtappointed panel on roads. The three-member team is back with another voluminous report on the methods employed by civic bodies in dealing with contractors.

The fault again lies in the quality of work — no specifications followed either in laying the roads or in investing sundry contractors with responsibility. “Why shouldKLAC be asked to keep a data and a check of what constitutes a good, heavy road which can take voluminous traffic and heavy rain? Engineers in the BMP are the people who should be laying down the norms,’’ screams one of the observations made by the panel. Apparently on IT-BT roads too specifications have not been followed despite BMP, the contractor KLAC and even the empowered committee on infrastructure keeping an eye on the quality of roads and related civic appendages like pavements, drain slabs, et al.

Another scathing observation made — the concrete put on footpaths is of a quality not even put on beams. “There is so much of wasteful expenditure, roads which have been finished within June 2005 are being taken up again now and funds are being allotted for the same roads as ‘maintenance and asphalting,’’ is yet another observation.

SOME OBSERVATIONS
The way tenders are called and the time taken to finalise them has to be changed drastically
There are many roads and layouts in the city which are so narrow that even if we want to tackle it, even equipment can’t enter the road
Why should crores of money be spent on the same M G Road?