Indian Express 15.11.2010
BMC to sanction Rs 500 crore more for roadwork
After facing much flak for the poor condition of roads this year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has decided to sanction an additional amount of Rs 500 crore for construction of new roads and maintenance of existing ones. The capital expenditure for roads has now been increased from Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,000 crore.
Moreover, in a bid to ensure that contractors maintain the required standards and quality of the new roads, the BMC has increased defect liability period from five years to 15 years for cement concrete roads and from five years to 10 years for asphalt roads. This means the contractor will be responsible for maintenance of roads for the said period and will be made accountable if the road develops defects during this period.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Aseem Gupta said that to bring transparency in roads projects and in the process of awarding contracts, e-tendering will be carried out. “For the first time in the history of BMC, all tendering and bidding procedures for the upcoming road projects will be carried out online to ensure maximum transparency,” said Gupta.
Sixty per cent of the sanctioned amount will be used for cement concrete roads, 30 per cent for asphalt roads and the rest for smaller roads, narrower than 30 feet.
“While constructing new roads, we will make sure dry utilities run below the footpath and not directly under the road so that roads do not have to be dug up often,” said Gupta.
