Nagpur: The state public works department (PWD) has added another twist to its 'dubious' style of functioning by getting a 300-metre long road that comes under the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) concretized through RPS Infraprojects Private Limited. The company has been roped in to look into only Ring Road cement concrete project.
When the matter came to light through a complaint lodged by activist Suraj Lolge with the PWD and police, it asked the RPS not to submit the bill of the road. Instead, as Lolge alleged, the PWD may try to "adjust the road expense in some other works of the Ring Road project".
The concretized road, which is 300-metre long and around 10 metre wide, falls between Ring Road and Renuka Mata temple situated at Yashoda Nagar. The tarred stretch was allegedly concretized following a request made by Sudhir Deulgaonkar, a personal assistant to Union minister and city MP Nitin Gadkari.
Deulgaonkar is also president of Shri Renuka Mandir Sansthan Trust that runs the temple. His residence too is located close to it.
Around 75 lakh to 1 crore was spent on the concretization work which was completed in September, before the start of the Navratri festival.
Accepting that the PWD concretized the road on his request, Deulgaonkar said the work was done in the larger interest of public. "It was not carried out specially for the temple. The road sees heavy traffic and has to be concretized," he said.
Lolge, who came to know about the work a few days back, lodged a complaint with the Rana Pratap Nagar police station about a "missing tar road" at Yashoda Nagar.
As per rules, NMC does all the cement road works under is juridictional areas, either through its zone office or the DPC works unit.
The engineers from the two departments told TOI that they are unaware of the work. The PWD too says it has no idea how the road got "concretized".
Activist Suraj Lolge said the PWD, after knowing about the complaint lodged, asked RPS not to submit the bill of the road. "PWD is likely to adjust the expense of the work by hiking the cost of the Ring Road project. It has not taken any action against RPS Infra for shoddy works and violations, and not completing the project in the stipulated time," he said.
According to him, the PWD took cognisance of the shoddy works only after complaints and RTI applications submitted by him. "The PWD went on to give extension of one year to RPS Infra despite several contraventions. The company also asked PWD to increase the project cost by Rs54 crore citing increase in scope and delay in works," he said.
He further said the PWD should ask RPS Infra to concretize all roads, major or internal, that are connected to Ring Road. "Citizens and corporators demanding concretization and tarring of roads falling under PWD are getting no response. It is the same with the NMC and the Nagpur Improvement Trust. Why was the PWD was so eager to get the work done on just one road that too at the request of Sudhir Deulgaonkar," he asked.
The road starts from Ring Road and connects London Street Road after a U-turn at the temple. The road is concretized up to end of the temple and not on the stretch towards the much busier London Street. Moreover, interlocking tiles have been placed in front of some shops adjacent to the temple and on the stretch that leads to Deulgaonkar's house.
PWD superintending engineer PD Navghare said he had no idea about the work. "There are provisions to take up works on approach roads of Ring Road. I will have to investigate the case," he said.
RPS project in charge Gopal Jaiswal first promised to issue a statement and later did not even respond to TOI's calls and messages. He was also emailed a questionnaire to which too he has not responded.
When the matter came to light through a complaint lodged by activist Suraj Lolge with the PWD and police, it asked the RPS not to submit the bill of the road. Instead, as Lolge alleged, the PWD may try to "adjust the road expense in some other works of the Ring Road project".
The concretized road, which is 300-metre long and around 10 metre wide, falls between Ring Road and Renuka Mata temple situated at Yashoda Nagar. The tarred stretch was allegedly concretized following a request made by Sudhir Deulgaonkar, a personal assistant to Union minister and city MP Nitin Gadkari.
Deulgaonkar is also president of Shri Renuka Mandir Sansthan Trust that runs the temple. His residence too is located close to it.
Around 75 lakh to 1 crore was spent on the concretization work which was completed in September, before the start of the Navratri festival.
Accepting that the PWD concretized the road on his request, Deulgaonkar said the work was done in the larger interest of public. "It was not carried out specially for the temple. The road sees heavy traffic and has to be concretized," he said.
Lolge, who came to know about the work a few days back, lodged a complaint with the Rana Pratap Nagar police station about a "missing tar road" at Yashoda Nagar.
As per rules, NMC does all the cement road works under is juridictional areas, either through its zone office or the DPC works unit.
The engineers from the two departments told TOI that they are unaware of the work. The PWD too says it has no idea how the road got "concretized".
Activist Suraj Lolge said the PWD, after knowing about the complaint lodged, asked RPS not to submit the bill of the road. "PWD is likely to adjust the expense of the work by hiking the cost of the Ring Road project. It has not taken any action against RPS Infra for shoddy works and violations, and not completing the project in the stipulated time," he said.
According to him, the PWD took cognisance of the shoddy works only after complaints and RTI applications submitted by him. "The PWD went on to give extension of one year to RPS Infra despite several contraventions. The company also asked PWD to increase the project cost by Rs54 crore citing increase in scope and delay in works," he said.
He further said the PWD should ask RPS Infra to concretize all roads, major or internal, that are connected to Ring Road. "Citizens and corporators demanding concretization and tarring of roads falling under PWD are getting no response. It is the same with the NMC and the Nagpur Improvement Trust. Why was the PWD was so eager to get the work done on just one road that too at the request of Sudhir Deulgaonkar," he asked.
The road starts from Ring Road and connects London Street Road after a U-turn at the temple. The road is concretized up to end of the temple and not on the stretch towards the much busier London Street. Moreover, interlocking tiles have been placed in front of some shops adjacent to the temple and on the stretch that leads to Deulgaonkar's house.
PWD superintending engineer PD Navghare said he had no idea about the work. "There are provisions to take up works on approach roads of Ring Road. I will have to investigate the case," he said.
RPS project in charge Gopal Jaiswal first promised to issue a statement and later did not even respond to TOI's calls and messages. He was also emailed a questionnaire to which too he has not responded.
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