Felt sudden jerk on a cement road? Blame it on lack of maintenance

Nagpur: Inferior quality of works, coupled with lack of periodic maintenance by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and other government agencies has resulted into widening of gaps between panels, formation of craters and undulated surface on cement concrete roads, causing sudden jerks to motorists as well as accidents.
The officials are not ensuring maintenance in the defect liability period (DLP) ostensibly to benefit the contractors. The DLP of cement roads is five years.

Social activist Suraj Lolage, who had unearthed various types of irregularities and inferior quality of works in Inner Ring Road widening and concretization project, demanded inquiry by an independent agency into the DLP period utilization by all government agencies in cement road works.
TOI had earlier reported how shoddy work by NMC and the state’s public works department (PWD) had led to potholes and surface layer on recently concretized roads.
Craters and undulated surface layer can also be seen on cement roads laid over three years ago. Sudden jerks can be physically damaging for citizens, especially elderly.
Social activist Rohit Deshpande pointed out that like tar roads, cement concrete roads too need periodic maintenance. “Gaps between two panels are filled with a liquid or tar solution to prevent them from widening so that motorists can have a smooth ride. The gaps have widened considerably as the liquid (solution) has come out due to regular movement of vehicles,” he said.
According to Deshpande, the gaps will widen further if not filled periodically. “Almost all cement roads need urgent maintenance,” he said.
Horizontal gaps have turned into craters and trenches at many places on cement roads constructed by NMC between 2011 and 2020. Similar pattern is being seen on the roads concretized by the state’s PWD, especially the Inner Ring Road (IRR).
Four cement roads constructed in the 1990s too have such gaps.
Also, wide trenches can be seen along the edges of the cement roads where paver blocks have been laid. NMC, PWD and MahaMetro had laid paver blocks along many of the cement roads. The same is the condition of paver blocks laid at squares and along the cement road.
Also, inferior quality of works has caused undulated surface on paver blocks on almost all cement roads.
According to Lolage, engineers of all agencies avoid inspection and fail to get repair works done from contractors during the DLP. “Repair works are ordered sometimes only after receiving complaints. But no action is taken for non-compliance.
“Scene will be clear only a detailed inquiry into condition of roads within DLP and repairing works done through contractors. After a few years these government agencies will propose project to carry out repairs, thus benefitting contractors,” he alleged.