COIMBATORE: Instead of being something to cheer about, the newly relaid Pankaja Mill Road has become a cause of worry for road users; they are not sure when the blacktop will fall apart. Within a few days of the work, blue metal has started coming off, showing how shoddy the work is. Also, the road level is up by one foot as the repairs were done without removing the existing top layer.
“Certain basic principles in laying roads are not compromised. The finished level should remain the same after the road is relaid, for which the top layer must be removed,” said S Kanagasundaram, former president, Association of Licensed Building Surveyors, Coimbatore. “Rules stipulate a minimum of 45 cm height from the road level to the base of a building. But now, Nanjundapuram Road is being raised by about 2 feet from the previous level. This will lead to buildings getting flooded when it rains,” he said.
There is also no lateral support for edge of the relaid road. A whole foot of its thickness is without support. It will lead to quick damage through vehicular movement. Also, the road level and the top of the storm-water drains, built recently, must match. So, continuous lateral support is essential, he added.
When contacted, T S Kandasamy, Superintending Engineer (Coimbatore) of Tamil Nadu State Highways, said, “The road level was raised to avoid waterlogging, which happens in a few places. Besides, it has to match the manhole level of the underground drainage system.”
“The normal life of a new road is five years, but it can vary, if extreme conditions like floods occur. The contractor has to maintain the road for three years. Any damage during this period is be repaired at his cost. The department releases his EMD deposit only after three years,” he added.
He also said that the ‘milling’ process, in which the old road material is dug up and mixed with the new while laying a road, is yet to evolve in our country.
K Kathirmathiyon, secretary, Coimbatore Consumer Cause, blamed lack of accountability for such shoddy work, where quality is totally compromised.
“Though the contractor has to make repairs if the road is damaged in three years, this never happens. The Highways Department’s work verification remains a question mark,” he said, adding, “A board should be placed on every road with its life term and the person to be contacted, with the phone numbers, in case it gets damaged earlier. The public will then complain about the damage and demand repairs by the contractor.”