Residents allege use of poor material for road re-carpeting

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 15

A high drama was witnessed when residents of Adarsh Nagar gathered near the Bathinda-Amritsar national highway (NH-54) and protested against PWD officials for allegedly using substandard material for re-carpeting a road. They accused them of using an improper technique for carrying the repair. They got the work stopped.

The repair work of a slip road on the national highway has been going on for the past many months. PWD officials are looking after the work.

On Saturday, a large number of Adarsh Nagar residents expressed concern over the repair work.

Local resident Tehal Singh Sandhu, who is also a Congress worker, said, “The PWD authorities did not follow the proper procedure for re-carpeting the road. No machine was used for mixing the material. Labourers were mixing it manually. Apart from that, no concrete layer was laid before putting the premix on the road. It was directly put on the unmetalled dusty road. The road is being built using a bad technique that it would not last for long. A mild spell of rain can wash away the material.”

“Even a road roller was not used to balance the surface. To level the road, the workers were seen pressing the material with heavy iron pieces (battering ram) manually. There are no machines at the project site and the entire work is being carried out manually. The contractor concerned did not use the quality material and the machines required to carry out the repair work of a road,” he added.

Harjit Singh Dhillon, a resident, said, “The level of the road is also not similar as compared to the road, which was constructed recently. It is around half feet below the surface level in front of Street No. 8 and 9.”

When the residents reached the spot, officials of the PWD left the place immediately. Workers were kept sitting on the roadside.

The residents said if proper material and technique were not used while constructing the road, they would sit on a dharna. They also exhorted the district administration to intervene in the matter and ensure a proper solution to the issue.

Rajiv Kumar, manager, Public Works Department (PWD), said, “It was a small stretch of the road where the repair work is being carried out. So, the work cannot be carried out with the help of machines. The work will be carried out by workers manually. As per the constraints, we are using the right technique for the project. The material used in it is also of a good quality.”