Exec engineer to inspect paver blocks in all wards …….Clara Lewis I TNN
Mumbai: The roads department issued a circular to all wards on April 30, stating that the executive engineer (special) will inspect recently laid paver blocks in every zone.
The engineer will not only inspect the sites, but also check the quality of paver blocks used as well as how well the works had been carried out. He will also keep a tab on proposed projects.
The inspection has been ordered after additional municipal commissioner (roads) R A Rajeev has received numerous complaints about the poor quality of paver blocks and how badly they were set in by civil works contractors appointed by the BMC, as the circular said.
Last year, the BMC appointed 37 contractors for all ward works including roads and this year the number has increased to 110. These contractors will conduct projects worth around Rs 2,000 crore.
The quantum of work done using paver blocks has risen tremendously with asphalt and concrete giving way to paver blocks for all road works in the wards. “It all started with the interlocking concrete paver blocks being used for critical junctions. These sections are most prone to potholes during monsoon and had to be repaired overnight because they could not be cordoned off owing to heavy traffic. Paver blocks were the ideal solution as they could be placed late at night and vehicles could ply on them the next morning. That monsoon it was a success. Immediately, they were used for pavements and side-strips as these sections need to be frequently dug up to attend to utilities. Now even entire roads are being done with paver blocks,’’ said a civic official.
The standing technical advisory committee has allowed the use of paver blocks for minor roads (on which buses do not ply) that are less than 20 ft wide and those that are blind alleys.
To repair a road, it costs Rs 5,000 per sq m if the material used is concrete, Rs 2,600 per sq m for asphalt and Rs 3,700 per sq m for paver blocks. So high is the demand for paver blocks that nearly every contractor has set up a manufacturing unit for the blocks. According to the civic body rules, the blocks have to
be bought from BMC-registered units only and the blocks are subject to random testing at the municipal laboratory. “But contractors have begun procuring paver blocks from non-approved plants. Since the sampling is random, they even manage to sneak in sub-standard paver blocks and the profit margins stay high,’’ said sources.