Date:19/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/19/stories/2008081954000400.htm

New Delhi

Sheila orders road repairs on war-footing

Staff Reporter

As rains expose poor quality of work

PWD permitted to initiate tendering for better maintenance of roads

NEW DELHI: With a few spells of heavy rain completely exposing the quality of road construction in Delhi by propping up gaping holes that have made the lives of commuters miserable, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday directed the Public Works Department to fill all potholes on the roads and carry major and minor repairs expeditiously.

At a high-level meeting to discuss the condition of roads, which the Government said was not satisfactory because of number of the potholes and damage caused by the rain, the Chief Minister instructed the PWD to act fast as people were facing a lot of difficulty on the potholed roads due to traffic jams and wastage of travelling time and fuel.

Ms. Dikshit told the PWD Engineer in Chief R. Subramanian to chalk out an action plan to fill all potholes during this month. He has also been directed to initiate all major and minor repairs on war-footing so that the same could be completed in September. The PWD has also been permitted to initiate large-scale tendering to ensure better maintenance of roads.

The Chief Minister said it was necessary to ensure high quality of maintenance and a mechanism whereby repairs could be carried out instantly.

The meeting was told that Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta would also be contacting the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to urge it to carry out similar exercise on their roads.

The meeting assumes significance as only about three months remain for the Delhi Assembly elections and the last thing the Delhi Government would want is to annoy people on account of poor road conditions, that too when the Sheila Dikshit Government would be going to the polls eyeing a record third term on the plan of development.

Residents of many areas, particularly South Delhi, have complained that the condition of roads was pathetic.

Even roads near the Delhi metro construction sites are in a poor shape. “While earlier the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation used to ensure that the roads under it were without potholes, now in the hurry to keep the deadlines, the roads have been sacrificed at the altar,” said a resident of Press Enclave, Saket, who usually takes the Aurobindo Marg to work.

The condition of National Highway 2 at Badarpur near metro construction site is no better. And the same story repeats itself at Akshardam Setu, Vikas Marg and even Noida.