PWD asphalts part of road selected by NMC for tarring

Nagpur: The state’s public works department (PWD) has asphalted part of the road from MLA Hostel Square to RBI Quarters in Civil Lines even as the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is set to tar the stretch completely. Lack of coordination between the two agencies has resulted into loss of public money.
The NMC has proposed complete asphalting of the roads from MLA Hostel Square to RBI Quarters to State Board’s office, Metro Rail office to High Court and Raj Bhavan Square to Katol Road at the cost of Rs 1.43 crore. Tendering process took a month and was completed a couple of days ago.
The NMC standing committee on Friday approved work order to the qualified contractor.
The NMC, however, did not intimate the state PWD which carries out maintenance of roads in Civil Lines.
In view of the criticism over potholes on some of the roads in Civil Lines, the state PWD issued a tender and started repairing of potholes. But the PWD is only doing patch work.
On Thursday, the PWD contractor tarred half portion of two sides of the road from MLA Hostel Square to Deshpande hall. Potholes on remaining half portion were filled. Some patch work was also carried between Deshpande Hall and RBI Quarters square. Like in case of total asphalting, defect liability period of these works is three years.
When NMC superintending engineer Ajay Pohekar received information, he contacted the PWD engineers and stopped the works. Else, PWD would have carried out the works till Board’s office.
Before planning or executing the works, the PWD did not bother to check with the NMC.
PWD engineers told TOI that the work was taken up as the road was in bad condition but it was immediately stopped after receiving information from the NMC.
In some relief for motorists, the PWD’s national highway division has completed repairing of potholes on Amravati road between Variety Square and Campus Square.
An engineer from the department said that the plan is to concretize the road from Variety Square to Wadi, so total asphalting was avoided. “We have submitted the proposal with head office seeking funds. Also, the process has started to construct two flyovers from Bhole Petrol Pump Square to NU Campus Square and from Gurudwara to Wadi,” he said.
Along with the NMC, the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) has also started its hotmix plant and asphalting of roads in regularized layouts. NIT superintending engineer Leena Upadhyay said, “Plan is to also tar roads in metropolitan region. NIT will resume operation of its second hotmix plant soon. NIT will supply tar to the NMC for expediting the road repair works,” she said.