Roads bad as PWD babus turn business allies of contractors: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

JAIPUR: In a scathing attack on PWD officials and engineers, chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said many officials at the lower level become business partners of contractors and to maintain ‘relationships’ with them, they compromise on the quality of roads, because of which roads crack in six months.
Referring to the poor condition of roads in Jodhpur, Gehlot said, “I went to Jodhpur yesterday. The roads in Jodhpur have been ruined completely. If the officers want to continue here, they should repair the roads timely and maintain them. This is not just about Jodhpur, the condition of roads in cities across the state is the same.”
“A lot has changed over a period of time, corruption has increased a lot. We are getting a third-party investigation done after construction of roads. The quality of roads (in the state) depends on the chief engineer (of the department). The responsibility lies with the chief engineer. You should tell the contractors bluntly that compromising on the quality of roads will not be tolerated. Compromise on the quality of roads will not be accepted,” said Gehlot.
Gehlot on Thursday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for construction of 113 roads covering 3,063 km, ROBs (road over bridge) and bridges at a total cost of Rs 3,324 crore.
In the last 3.5 years, approvals for 10,546 development projects amounting to Rs 25,395 crore have been issued for the development of roads covering 42,384 km in the state. “It is the result of the efforts of the state government that the condition of roads in the state is better than that of the neighbouring state, Gujarat, in terms of quality,” said Gehlot.
Advanced technologies like Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS) will be used in the state for prevention of road accidents, said Gehlot. “Road accidents will be curbed through strict monitoring mechanisms and effective implementation of rules. The main causes of road accidents are being identified by the experts and work is being done to eliminate them,” said Gehlot.
“Development of roads is a basic necessity of civilian life. Citizens will get better facilities and more and more industries will come up where roads will be developed. The state government is committed towards all-round development of the state,” said Gehlot.
He said ensuring the quality of roads was the priority of the state government. “For this, the inspection mechanism will be strengthened further. Intensive inspection is being ensured by officers of the Quality Control Branch,” he added.
Gehlot said officers of the department should ensure maintenance of roads in coordination with the contractors after construction. “For this, the conditions mentioned in the contract signed with the contractors must be complied with. Along with this, officials should ensure quality of construction works by making regular and surprise visits,” the chief minister said.
He said an excellent road network was the first condition for investment and development in any state. “Advanced roads are one of the main reasons behind the progress of all developed countries,” said Gehlot. “The road infrastructure of the state is one of the main reasons behind the interest shown by the investors in the state.”
Before the Invest Rajasthan Summit, which is going to be held in the state in October, MoUs worth about Rs 11 lakh crore have been signed by the state government with the investors.
The Chief Minister directed the officers to fix all the damaged roads, caused due to excessive rains/floods during monsoon, by October 20 by running a special drive. He said necessary resources would be made available for repair of roads in all the districts.
Gehlot said Rajasthan has been the leading state in the country in construction of NHs. Construction of Delhi-Vadodara and Amritsar-Jamnagar national highways was completed rapidly with the cooperation of the state government.