Mumbai: The BMC has imposed stringent measures against both the contractor and the quality monitoring agencies following the discovery of cracks in several areas of the newly constructed cement concrete road in Aarey Colony. Engineers involved have been issued written warnings for their negligence.
The contractors are not only penalised but also required to undertake repairs on the defective sections of the road at their own expense. Additionally, any further shortcomings in the roadwork will result in double penalties, and repeated infractions could lead to the contractor being blacklisted by the municipal corporation.
The BMC initiated the concretization of Aarey Colony’s main road, spanning from Goregaon Junction to the L&T Junction in Powai, in 2022, with the project scheduled for completion by 2025. The civic body has allocated Rs 51.6 crore for this undertaking. As stipulated in the tender conditions, the defect liability period for the road extends to 10 years.
Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijeet Bangar recently conducted an inspection of the roadwork. He assessed the cement concreting from the Western Express Highway to Morarji Nagar along the Aarey Colony main road (Dinkar Rao Desai Marg) and identified several issues, including both major and minor cracks, surface degradation, and areas of substandard quality.
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The shoddy work has also been under criticism from activists and locals. In response, the BMC administration has taken severe action against the contractors, quality monitoring agencies, and the engineers involved.
The BMC has directed the contractors to immediately address any defects, including those in adjacent panels, and the cost for these repairs will be deducted from their payments. Any future defects will incur double penalties, and repeated mistakes could result in disqualification from future municipal projects, warns BMC.
Also, the quality monitoring agency, which was responsible for ensuring quality according to the tender conditions, has also faced penalties for failing to deliver. The agency has been warned to be more vigilant to prevent any shortcomings in the work.
Bangar emphasized that the BMC is committed to maintain the quality of roadworks. "Low-quality work will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and contractors must be aware that severe penalties, including financial and operational actions, will be enforced. Quality monitoring agencies appointed by the BMC are paid separately for their services, and if they fail to ensure high standards, they will be held equally responsible along with the contractors. Engineers are also advised to be more vigilant to ensure quality in their oversight."
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