Local contractors paying high price for past misdeeds
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: February 03, 2023 -

LOCAL contractors may feel discounted and offended as work agencies based in mainland states continue to bag major infrastructure development projects.

However, it is unlikely that the common populace would raise posers against either the native contractors or work agencies from outside as long as projects executed meet the prescribed work quality and last as per the project specification.

To the public, maintaining standard quality in blacktopping of roads or any other infrastructural development project is of paramount importance.

While expeditious completion of projects would be welcomed by all, the masses are certain to relish contract works which do not develop cracks or crumble soon after withdrawal of the work bills.

For the record, there had been various instances of newly constructed, repaired dr blacktopped roads not lasting beyond the peak work seasons, not to mention about buildings developing cracks, bridges slanting and drains missing prescribed steel rods or substituted by bamboo poles.

It is an undeniable fact that whenever any structural projects, especially road development works, are initiated by the state government the locals make it a point to forewarn the contractors concerned as well as urge the government authorities to ensure strict adherence to work quality as they are strongly suspicious that the projects wouldn't be durable enough to withstand the first seasonal rainfall.

Though it has been a tradition for the lowest bidders to bag supply or construction works, such a system cannot be the premise for the work agencies to flout prescribed norms or facilitate them to thicken their bank balance through execution of sub-par work.

Rather the defaulting firms should be reminded or categorically made it clear that they are liable to be blacklisted in case the assigned tasks are not executed appropriately.

Moreover, if the projects entrusted could not be executed in conformity with the terms of agreement, expecting the same to withstand the daily passage of heavily loaded trucks, in case of roads, and other natural factors like extended rainfall and summer heat would be out of the context.

The contractors' devil-may-care attitude of flouting the prescribed norms also underscore that the contractors are adept in raking in maximum profit out of contract assignments in collusion with officials of project implementing departments.

Moreover, reports of the local populace opposing blacktopping of roads during the night time sum up the public's apprehension that the work agencies would compromise work quality taking undue Advantage of the absence of public scrutiny.

The public's allegations are not without substance for there were multiple cases of concerned citizens taking along media persons to expose substandard execution of road projects in the interior parts of the state, demanding the government to withhold release of work bill till fresh repairing of the newly executed projects and even proposing blacklisting of the defaulting contractors after discovery of withdrawal of work bill without executing the assigned task.

As all such substandard projects were executed by the local contractors it is possible that the government of Manipur might have perceived that the wisest decision would be to hand over major projects funded by the centre to reputed firms from outside.

Thus, if the outstation work agencies could prove efficiency in work execution and maintain work quality then the public wouldn't be concerned with plight of the local contractors for the ultimately aspiration is to travel on the smoothest and spacious roads and feel safe in crossing bridges.