Anomalies galore in PWD works
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 18 2015:
There have been many irregularities and anomalies in the way the State PWD has been building and maintaining roads out of the State's own fund over the years.
On account of undue political interference, the department is unable to build new roads or repair existing roads in time out of the State's own fund allocated to the department.
A high ranking PWD official told The Sangai Express that Rs 70 crore was incorporated in the annual budget of the current financial year for maintenance of roads.
The amount was distributed to the 60 Assembly segments at the rate of Rs 1 crore for each of the 40 valley Assembly segments and Rs 1.5 crore for the 20 Assembly segments located in hill districts.
The amount distributed to the 60 Assembly segments should be utilized in building and maintenance of roads within the current financial year.
It is the respective MLAs who decide how to use these funds and there is no room for interference by PWD.
The amount of Rs 1 crore or Rs 1.5 crore for maintenance of roads within a Assembly segment is too meagre.
When the MLAs distributed the amount all over his/her Assembly segment in order to please every section of people, it became hard to do even minor repairing of roads.
This system only aggravates conditions of worn out roads rather than improving them.
Repairing a road to the optimum standard requires Rs 4/5 crore at the least.
ADB has been constructing roads by investing Rs 7/8 crore for every one Kilometre, said the official.
Given the State's limited resources, the State's own fund incorporated in the annual budget for construction/maintenance of roads is generally quite small.
But the way funds were incorporated in the annual budget for maintenance of roads was never done on 'need-based' basis, said another source.
MLAs were entrusted certain amounts to build/repair roads within their respective Assembly segments based on the degree of urgency and necessity.
MLAs should compile priority lists and repair roads in sequential order.
Only then, standard roads can become a reality.
But the way the funds are utilized at present is mired in obscurity.
No one knows whether the funds are utilized properly or whether any tender was done or not.
As per the established rules and norms of PWD, all contract works should be executed under an agreement.
The security deposit of five per cent of the tender amount should be used in maintaining the road for the next five years after the road was built or repaired.
A newly built or repaired road may or may not break apart soon after it is built/repaired.
In case the road breaks apart, it should be repaired with the amount paid as security deposit.
In case the road does not break apart within the specific period, the security deposit should be reimbursed to the contractor.
PWD has been building/repairing roads with funds drawn from Central agencies of the Government of India including NEC.
For road construction/repairing works done with funds provided by Government of India, maintenance of roads for a specific period after the roads were constructed/repaired was done out of the security deposit.
But this norm is not followed for roads constructed/repaired with the State's own fund, added the source.
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