The City Convergence Meeting on Saturday resolved to set up a third party system to monitor various road cutting, construction and repair work being taken up by different agencies across the city.
The third party body would comprise retired engineers as members who would be entrusted with the task of taking up independent inspections of roads and penalising departments responsible for any violations or omissions.
In view of more than 10 departments, including the GHMC, water board, power supply, Hyderabad Road Development Corporation (HRDCL) and others being involved in either digging or construction and repair of city roads, the body would ensure quality, safety and legality of the work being taken up, a statement from the GHMC said.
Proposal for the third party system was mooted by GHMC Commissioner M. Dana Kishore and unanimously seconded by all those at the meeting. Each department would have to invest ₹10 lakh for the establishment of the autonomous body, the note said. Veteran engineers from this body would conduct inspections of road-cutting work and ensure that they have required permissions from relevant departments. They would also check if the work is completed within the specified time-frame and ensure that the standards specified in the tenders are complied with.
The members would have penalising authority, in case of violations which include digging up roads without permissions, non-restoration of roads even after completion of work, completed work not in line with tender specifications, and lack of safety barricading and boards displaying details such as duration of the work, names of contractors and engineers and their mobile numbers.
A special committee would be constituted with members drawn from the engineering wing of each department, to determine the job chart of the body, its powers, its members and penalty details. The participating departments include the GHMC, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB), Hyderabad Metro Rail, Hyderabad Road Development Corporation (HRDCL), TS Transco, Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority and National Highways among others.
The meeting was also attended by HMR managing director N.V.S. Reddy, TSIIC MD Venkata Narasimha Reddy, and Ranga Reddy Joint Collector Harish, apart from GHMC additional commissioners and zonal commissioners.