Maintenance work of rural roads should be done by departmental engineers, not by contractors, Bihar CM tells RWD officials

PATNA: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said that maintenance of all rural roads built under the rural works department (RWD) should be done by the departmental engineers, and not by contractors.
“Road maintenance by departmental engineers will lead to a decrease in the expenditure and also improve the quality of maintenance work. The move will also provide employment opportunities to many people,” Nitish said while reviewing the works of the RWD through video-conferencing from ‘Sankalp’ hall of his residence.
The CM further asked the RWD engineers to keep continuous vigil on the roads which had already been awarded to contractors on the terms of five-year maintenance guarantee. He said the department’s senior officers and engineers should inspect such roads on a regular basis so that there would not be any negligence in maintenance of the roads by the concerned contractors.
The RWD minister Jayant Raj, the department’s Secretary Pankaj Kumar Pal, other senior officers and engineers were connected to the CM through video conferencing during the review meeting.
Nitish also said, the prestige of the RWD engineers would increase manifold in the society if they execute the road maintenance works in a committed way. “We all will be happy and would have a sense of self-satisfaction if the roads in rural areas are properly maintained,” he said.
He further asked the RWD officials and engineers to complete as early as possible all the remaining works under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), the Mukhya Mantri Gram Sampark Yojana (MMGSY) and the Grameen Tola Sampark Nischay Yojana (GTSNY).
The CM also asked the engineers to repair the approach roads of all the new bridges which were built under the Mukhya Mantri Setu Nirman Yojana (MMSNY). He also called for regular inspection, monitoring and maintenance of the old roads built under the MMSNY.
Giving emphasis on maintenance of quality in the construction of roads, the CM further asked the RWD engineers to work in a planned manner for development and widening of the rural roads.
Earlier the RWD secretary Pankaj Kumar Pal made a detailed presentation on the current status of maintenance work of the rural roads and works done under different schemes of the department.