Nagpur Municipal Corporation prefers road contractors over doing quality work itself

NAGPUR: Citizens are fed up of substandard quality road works done by private contractors. However, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) continues to favour contractors, and suffer huge losses, while refusing to set up hot mix plants. NMC even rejected an initiative by NIT chairman Praveen Darade to use NIT's hot mix plant, and dislodge the hold of contractors, while also saving money.

The lack of planning and management regarding roads is apparent even to NMC, but to no avail. The civic body has been executing over Rs 60 crore worth road asphalting works every year through private contractors for the last five years. In this time, its own hot mix plant has done works worth only Rs 5 crore.

Even NMC's evaluation admits that work done through contractors costs 25% more than work executed by the civic body itself. Also, NMC knows very well that quality of work suffers when it is done by contractors.

Realizing these mistakes, Darade, while he was acting chief of NMC recently, allotted as many road works as possible to NMC's hot mix plant. Darade told TOI that NIT too does all its road works from its own plants. "There are several benefits, with one major advantage being faster work according to our plans. Executing works through private contractors requires lengthy tendering. Besides, the rate difference is huge, since any contractor will of course try to earn as much profit as possible. So, NIT is executing all road works through its plants," he said.

Darade gave work orders of over Rs 5 crore to NMC's hit mix plant. "He also assured to execute works through NIT's plants when he was informed about the low capacity of NMC's plant. NIT even completed two road works worth over Rs 3 crore, including Airport road and Itwari railway station, doing good quality work. However, a few corporators opposed the step and asked Darade to give work orders to contractors," NMC sources said.

NMC officials too support the contractors. NMC has not even paid NIT for the work done by it.

Corporator Avinash Thakre told TOI he was very happy with Darade's decision. "I used to prefer road works done by NMC plant in my ward. But the administration stopped the system," he said.

A senior NMC official claimed works are executed through contractors due to lack of sufficient capacity in NMC's plant. However, NMC has not shown any interest in expanding capacity of its plants or setting up new plants.

NIT has a very small area under its jurisdiction as compared to NMC. Yet, NIT has two hot mix plants of 60 tonne per hour (TPH) capacity and is even planning a third plant. NMC has only one plant with 30 TPH capacity since 2000.

NIT's new hot mix plant cost merely Rs 40-50 lakh. NMC could easily recoup such an investment from the money saved from giving work to contractors. Even 25% margin on the Rs 60 crore spent each year on roads will lead to NMC saving Rs 10-15 crore. Yet, NMC refuses to increase its hot mix capacity.

Sources told TOI a proposal for a new plant at Bhandewadi was pending for last few years "so contractors keep getting contracts". However, NMC officials say the reason for the delay was the need to change reservation of the land at Bhandewadi. This issue is a minor, technical problem if NMC decides to set up a plant, said sources.

There is hope that municipal commissioner Shyam Wardhane will soon change NMC systems. Sources said work orders of over Rs 6 crore for repairing Central Avenue have already been allotted to NMC's plant. "Wardhane is in favour of setting up new plants and ensuring most works are done by NMC itself to ensure quality," said sources.