Mysore/Mysuru: The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) had taken up pothole-filling works soon after the Dasara grants were released. But the works were so pathetic that in most of the places where the filling works were done, the asphalt was washed away and the potholes were back to square one within a week or so.
In their enthusiasm to complete the works and take home the Government grants, contractors filled the potholes in a hurried manner and they were washed away in one rain. The chinks in the armour were exposed soon after the rain water receded into the drains carrying along newly laid patchworks.
Following a public hue and cry on the waste of money, MCC Commissioner Lakshmikantha Reddy and Superintending Engineer (SE) Mahesh called a meeting of all Zonal officers and Assistant Executive Engineers (AEEs) this morning and directed them to re-lay the potholes wherever they have been washed away.
“We have taken this seriously. Over 80 percent of the potholes have been filled and in some places, rain has washed them away. We have asked the contractors to identify all such potholes, cut them properly and re-lay as per specifications. They must complete the works and send us photos of each re-laid pothole as proof,” SE Mahesh told Star of Mysore. Like the expression ‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating’ meaning that you can only judge the quality of something after you have tried, used or experienced it, the MCC now wants the contractors to take the photo of each filled pothole and send them to the bosses for approval.
A few questions for the citizens to ponder are :
1. Are there no quality, technical and other stipulated standards mentioned in the tender?
2. If so, are they specified in the tender?
3. If so, do the contractors follow and comply with it?
4. Is there an audit, certification authority from the agencies to verify the claims of contractors?
5. If there is deficiency of work during audit, what is done?
6. If there is deficiency of work after the payment, what is done?
7. Who all are held responsible, what is the action recommended by the rules, are the action taken promptly? If not, what is the recourse to citizens?
8. Is a committee setup to make the concerned people accountable? Is there a time limit to such investigations?
9. Does the committee recommend – What lessons learnt from this incident? What needs to be avoided from next similar work? What needs to be done differently to get the desired results and to comply with the specifications and rules?
Perhaps, people are too busy with their own lives, may be finding some time to grumble and complain but not having enough time to fight for for they truly deserve!?
From the approved tender amount to actual money the contractor gets, he has to pay lancha to numerous people. To make up for all these unwarranted and unaccounted overheads he is forced to do a very sub standard work to recoup his investment plus profit. So the end result is a shoddy patch work which does not last beyond the final inspection and payoff.
Quality control – now what is that???? Not in our government’s dictionary
As long as a sizeable portion of the contractors earnings are to be “kicked back” to govt officials, the condition of the roads laid will be absolutely sub standard. In fact, tender winner seem to be decided not as per their lowest quotation for the road work, but by the “highest percentage of kickback” to the officials. With what is left, the contractors lay sub standard roads which wash off in a single rainfall. Of course, after all this, there are obviously no audits for quality checks etc!!
Worst condition of road from Gopal Gowda hospital to milk diary many pathholes and risky