Cracks from Zingabai Takli to Godhani on incomplete cement path
Nagpur: Cracks already exist on the underbuilding cement road from Zingabai Takli to the village of Godhani, raising questions about the nature of the work being done. It also revealed lax oversight by the department of public works (Division-I) of the state.
Many occasions on the lackadaisical approach of the state PWD and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to monitoring and ensuring the standard of concretization road works in cement.
The stretch of the Zingabai Takli to Godhani village is part of the 5.6 km long Bokhara-Godhani-Faras road that is being extended with grants approved by city MP Nitin Gadkari from the Central Road Fund. A part of the road comes under the constituency of the Nagpur West assembly while the remaining part falls within the constituency of Hingna.
The work order for the Rs25 Crore was given to M / s Abhi Engineering in December 2016. Work is being carried out at a very slow pace and after more than three years, not even half the road is complete.
The stretch and noticed cracks on one side of the stretch between the Mahajan Complex and Govind Lawn, at many points. Chances of these fractures opening up further can not be ruled out if not attended to immediately. There is a difference between roadside panels and interlocking blocks in many areas. The blocks are of inferior quality too.
It is obvious from spot inspection that the contractor does not meet requirements such as regular water sprinkling at the site and covering up construction material, resulting in the accumulation of dust on either side of the road. Norms set by the traffic police are not being complied with either. TOI found that the contractor did not put up barricades, lights, blinkers, flasher screens, rotaries, signs for the order, red flags, etc.
Traffic wardens must also be stationed at the site round the clock but this is overlooked. Police from Mankapur and traffic police from Sadar district seem to have turned a blind eye to these violations. Former corporate Arun Dawre has found road work quality bad. Citing the reasons for the fractures, he said the road would not be allowed to set correctly. “The road is constructed from the ground at a higher level, and during heavy rains can lead to flooding of nearby houses and shops,” he said.
“We are not monitoring the quality and speed of work. Unless quality is compromised, it will be like rubbing salt to the wounds of people, “Dawre said and added that the new ones laid by the NMC, India’s National Highways Authority and even PWD do not have a smooth surface layer compared to existing old cement roads.
Despite repeated attempts, the executive engineer J Bhanuse of state PWD was unavailable for comment. It was also impossible to reach the contractor for feedback. NMC leader of the ruling party and former deputy mayor Sandip Jadhav acknowledged that he too had noticed cracks on the road and said he would raise the issue with officials from the state PWD.
