BMC eyes new machine to catch errant contractors

After having spent several crores on repairing shoddily constructed roads, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has come up with a way of making contractors accountable for their work.

After having spent several crores on repairing shoddily constructed roads, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has come up with a way of making contractors accountable for their work.

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In an instruction issued last week, the civic body has asked its engineers to scan roads that fall under the defect liability period (DLP) — the period during which the contractor is liable to repair damage to the road — by using the high-tech radar systems and ensure that they are built as per specification. Also, the contractors will not be paid till the exercise has been completed.

The civic body will scan each road under the DLP, which has had more than five potholes, said an official from the roads department.

The BMC will be using the ground-penetrating radars (GPR), which can scan roads and detect, among other things, any irregularities in construction. The GPR could help detect malpractices employed by road contractors who often deviate from specifications to cut costs.

The civic body is in the process of shortlisting the different radar machines that it can procure, said the official, adding that one machine would cost around Rs15 lakh. The civic body is looking at getting at least two-three GPR machines to cover the entire city.

“These machines will tell us a lot about how a road has been built. Once we are satisfied with the construction, we will release the payment to the contractor,” said additional municipal commissioner Aseem Gupta.

Gupta said this procedure would be made mandatory once the procurement of the machines was over.

“We are in the process of shortlisting the machines that we can use as well as its specifications, like the depth it can gauge and its cost. The machine will help strengthen our quality control on the way roads are made,” he said.

While the civic body pays the contractor in various phases throughout the execution of the roadwork, a substantial chunk of the payment, nearly 17% of the total cost, is paid after the DLP expires.