Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said that there will be no compromise on the quality of road construction in Gujarat. Strict action will be taken against contractors doing shoddy work. Road condition report of all cities has been sought by 30th November.
Gandhinagar. Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel has clearly said that no compromise on quality will be tolerated in the construction work of roads and highways in Gujarat. He gave these instructions in a meeting held in Gandhinagar on Thursday, in which Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi, Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai and Chief Secretary M.K. Das was also present.
Mayors of metropolitan cities, standing committee chairmen, commissioners of metropolitan municipalities and regional officers joined the meeting through video conferencing. Everyone shared information about the condition of roads in their respective areas.
Quality paramount in road construction: Chief Minister’s strict policy
Since assuming charge, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has laid special emphasis on the quality of road and bridge construction. He has made it clear many times that negligence or poor quality in public welfare work will not be acceptable under any circumstances.
Recently three contractors have been blacklisted, while strict action has been taken against more than 13 contractors this year itself. Through these steps, the government has given a clear message that a policy of zero tolerance will be adopted towards those doing shoddy work.
Priority given to pothole repair and field visit
The Chief Minister directed in the meeting that the work of immediately filling the potholes on the roads should be done on priority. He also said that the concerned Municipal Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner should regularly visit the field and check the quality of the works and submit a comprehensive report by November 30. CM directed that at places where construction of bridges is going on, RCC roads should be built for diversion for the convenience of citizens, so that there is no hindrance in traffic.
Strict action if road gets damaged during maintenance guarantee period
The Chief Minister reiterated that if any road breaks down during the maintenance guarantee period, the contractors concerned should be immediately blacklisted and legal action should also be taken against them. He directed the officials to ensure that all road construction works are completed as per the standards and on time.
Instructions to the ministers in charge to review the roads of the districts
CM Patel, in the recent state cabinet meeting, had also directed all the in-charge ministers to review the condition of roads in their districts and submit the report by November 30. This decision has been taken to make the road system in the state better and safer.
Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi’s emphasis: Quality repairs in busy areas
In the meeting, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi said that in cities where there is high movement of people – like railway stations, bus stations and market areas – the road repair work should be done in such a way that its benefits are clearly visible to the public. He also said that quick redressal of complaints and continuous operation of new road construction works is necessary, so that citizens can get better traffic experience.
Presence of senior officials in the meeting
In this high level meeting, Advisor to the Chief Minister Shri S. S. Rathore, Principal Secretary of Urban Development Department, Mr. M. Thennarsan, Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Mrs. Avantika Singh, Commissioner of Municipalities Ms. Remya Mohan, Secretary of Roads and Buildings Department, Mr. Prabhat Patelia, Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister, Mr. Dheeraj Parekh and other officers were present.