THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a bid to ensure the quality of roads in the state, the PWD has decided to file a case against the engineers and contractor concerned if a road gets damaged within six months of its construction. The move is in the wake of a vigilance report submitted to the High Court.
The PWD issued an order in this regard on Friday. The order stated that if the officials and contractor are arraigned as accused in the case, the investigation should be completed within six months and the report submitted to the court.
Even if the completed or repaired road gets damaged within a year, officials and contractors will face investigation. Such an investigation should be completed within three months. The order also stated that legal action will be taken against officials and contractors if any lapse is found due to their willful or irresponsible nature. However, if the road is damaged due to weather and rain, these measures will not be taken, the order said.
The vigilance on Wednesday informed the High Court that no timely quality assurance check was done on road works. The vigilance also said during a surprise check, it was found that tarring materials were not used in the desired quantity. When core cut samples were examined, these revealed that tarring was not done in the required quantity and quality.
Vigilance director Manoj Abraham was present online for the court hearing and he explained the action taken by his department with respect to the various roads in Kerala. He said over 7,500 complaints were received, of which 107 were taken up based on intelligence inputs and surprise inspections.It is also suggested that regional quality control divisions be formed by including competent department officers with proven efficiency in conducting inspections of road construction and maintenance work.