HC paves the way for better roads
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Thursday directed the BMC to ensure that all asphalt and cement roads constructed in the city in the current financial year undergo a quality-control audit by third-party auditors as per the recommendations of the Standing Technical Advisory Committee (STAC)’s 2004 report (Merani panel report).
A division bench of justices R M Lodha and N H Patil also asked the civic body to maintain the roads as per the STAC specifications and initiate action against errant contractors.
The third-party auditors appointed by the BMC for conducting the quality control are—Shrikhande & Associates, Shirish Patel & associates, Congress for Road Research India and AB Karveer & Associates.
The court’s orders came during the hearing of PILs filed by resident-activists Kewal Semlani and Bhagwanji Rayani and city cardiologist Dr Sandeep Rane on the poor condition of roads in Mumbai and Thane.
The court has also sought a solution from the BMC for repeated digging up of roads. The municipal corporation’s counsel, K K Singhvi, and MMRDA lawyer Rajendra Savant raised a common grievance that the 13 public utilities, including MTNL, GAIL and others, were mainly responsible for the damage caused to over 450 km of roads.
The BMC informed the court that it would assign a junior/sub engineer in each of the 24 wards to monitor trenching work. The court also asked the BMC to come up with a scheme for better synchronisation and coordination between the agencies that dig up roads.
The court also directed the civic body to use the entire budgetary provision of Rs 680.89 crore, earmarked for road works in the city. Of the amount, asphalt roads will get Rs 331 crore, while Rs 349 crore will be provided for concretisation work.
The BMC informed the court that the Rs 72 crore left unutilised from last year’s budget would also be used during the current financial year. Singhvi informed the court that STAC guidelines had been incorporated in all the tenders invited after April 2005.
The case will come up for hearing on August 16 when the court will hear issues relating to roads under the control of MMRDA and Mumbai Port Trust.
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