The Board earlier ordered the contractor to construct the new road because the existing one was crumbling within just three months of its construction in the village of Gunjheta in the Pandariya block of the district in Chhattisgarh.
The Chief Minister’s Rural Roads and Rural Development Scheme is responsible for the construction of the 550 metre long concrete road, which was built in the village to enhance connectivity. Shortly after its construction, however, gravel and other material started to separate from the surface, hinting at the bad quality of construction work.
The contractor was supposed to do the work under the supervision of an engineer, officials say. Directions weren’t followed and the road was finished, even though Department raised concerns.
Officials checked the road after villagers complained about the road utilizes low grade materials and is constructed poorly. Sampling was done by coring and tested at a laboratory for technical analysis.
According to the test results, the road passed the test, which showed that it was not of the required quality. Afterward the department mandated that the tear-down be conducted with the damaged sections, and that the sections be rebuilt to the correct specifications.
A bulldozer then came in to blanket over the problem road. Payment to the contractor has also reportedly been frozen by the authorities. The contractor has submitted a written acknowledgement of the mistake and assured the department that the road will be rebuilt.
There were also warnings of actions by local authorities against contractors on infrastructure projects funded by the public sector. Since last, Deputy Chief Minister and Kawardha MLA Vijay Sharma has emphasized on the importance of quality in development works and pointed that if there is any defective construction, then it should be demolished and they should build it again.
The department has stated it will be reconstructing any roads it deems below competition and that it will keep an eye on the quality of the replacement jobs.