The Times of India             14.06.2013

Civic body begins MIDC road repair

NASHIK: The civic body has started repairing roads in the Ambad industrial estate and will begin cleaning up the nullahs in a day or two.

The works were to be completed before the commencement of the monsoon, according to Suresh Mali, the president of the Ambad Industries and Manufacturers Association (AIMA). "We had repeatedly asked the civic administration to finish these works before the monsoon arrives. Now that the rains have started, we hope the works will be completed at the earliest."

Speaking to TOI, deputy engineer P H Pathade at the Nashik Municipal Corporation's Cidco Divisional Office said, "We had recently invited bid worth Rs 86 lakh to undertake the road repair works in the Maharashtra industrial development corporation (MIDC) area of Ambad. Accordingly, we have started the road repair work there. We expect to finish the work soon."

Pathade added, "Proposals worth Rs 35 lakh for cleaning up the nullahs in the industrial area were passed at a recent meeting of the NMC's Cidco divisional committee. The work will start in a day or two and will be completed in a week."

Lack of preparedness for the monsoon was seen when heavy rains that lashed the city on June 6 had caused water logging in some sectors of Ambad MIDC. The nullahs in the industrial area were blocked and manufacturing operations in several sectors such as W, C, D and L were disrupted due to the water logging.

Incidentally, the heavy rains that lashed the Nashik city on June 6, caused water-logging in some sectors of Ambad MIDC as nullahas in the area was blocked due to lack of its cleaning. The water was gathered and reached some manufacturing units in sectors like W, C, D and L. As a result, manufacturing operations in around 15 companies halted for a day as water gathered there in the units. Moreover, condition of roads have already deteriorated and would have deteriorated more in the road repair works would have not commenced.

The New Indian Express             14.06.2013

BBMP commissioner M Lakshminarayana held a meeting with chief engineers and directed them to ensure that potholes are filled. PTI file photo

Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioner M Lakshminarayana has directed the officials to fill all potholes on arterial and sub-arterial roads within 15 days. In a release, the BBMP commissioner said,  “Due to recent rains, many roads have been damaged. This has affected vehicular movement.”

The commissioner also held a meeting with chief engineers and directed them to ensure that potholes are filled.

The release said BBMP has allotted Rs 5 lakh per ward to fill potholes. Considering it an emergency, the commissioner directed the engineers to hand over the pothole-filling task to Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL). He said if roads come under defect liability period (maintenance period), then the contractors concerned have to do the work again.

“Officials have to estimate the cost to fill potholes of the remaining roads and execute work within 15 days, failing which action will be initiated against them,” he said.

A senior BBMP official said the potholes were supposed to be filled before monsoon. “As our officials, were on elections duty, it has been delayed,” he said.

Palike to spend Rs 17 crore

“We have entrusted the work on roads that are not under maintenance period to a US-based company. BBMP will pay Rs 80,000/ km per annum, which comes to around Rs 17 crore,” said K T Nagaraj, superintendent engineer.