Stung by the court remarks, the Public Works department (PWD) has decided to take action against contractors and engineers if the road is damaged within six months after the completion of the construction.
The department issued an order in this regard stating that cases would be registered against the engineers and contractors if the road collapsed within six months after the construction. The High Court had recently observed that some of the roads were in extremely bad condition and often went into disrepair within a short period from the date on which it was repaired or laid. But none of the officers or contractors were held responsible, nor accountability fixed on them.
As per the order, if the officials and contractors were accused, the investigation should be completed within six months and the report should be submitted to the court. Even if the repaired road was damaged within a year, officials and contractors would face an investigation.
Such investigation should be completed within three months. Further, the order also stated that criminal action would be taken against officials and contractors if any lapse was found due to the willful or irresponsible act of the accused. However, no action would be taken if the road was damaged due to rain.
Earlier, the court had made the remarks when the Vigilance informed the High Court that no timely quality assurance check was done on road works. In the surprise checks carried out by the Vigilance, it was found that the desired quality prescribed for the work was not maintained in certain stretches.
There is also a suggestion to form quality control divisions at the regional level by including competent officials from the department with a proven track record for holding inspections of road construction and maintenance works.
