PWD to set up own material testing system: Parvesh Verma

The Delhi government plans to establish its own material testing mechanism for road projects, aiming to expedite quality checks and improve infrastructure.

The Delhi government is planning to set up its own material testing mechanism at road construction sites through procurement of advanced testing equipment, public works department (PWD) minister Parvesh Verma said on Tuesday.

PWD minister Parvesh Verma (HT Archive)

Currently, the infrastructure agency of the government mandates that all contractors involved in the road infrastructure projects get sample tests done from a reputable engineering college.

“Currently, we have a process where several engineering colleges and expert institutes carry out testing of material at work sites. Similarly, quality audits are done after completion of projects. We plan to start our own sample and road quality testing mechanism, and we are procuring required equipment for this,” Verma said.

A PWD official explained that in the first phase, the road quality testing by the department will be initiated and it will later be extended to other projects such as building construction, flyovers and other RCC structures. “In-house testing will help us save time as many of these quality checking reports take two to three months,” the official said.

The minister said the government plans to repair 600 km of roads in the Capital over this year. “PWD will procure a block cutter machine to test bitumen quality on all these roads,” Verma added.

Earlier, PWD had extended the operation and maintenance clause of road repair projects for a minimum of two years. As part of terms and conditions, contractors are also required to provide equipment at sites like a weighing scale, graduated cylinder, standard sieves, thermometer, etc, to enable the engineer conduct field tests and ensure that the quality is consistent with the prescribed specifications, officials added.