Chandigarh MC extends 'defect liability period' for road projects to 3 years

For the first time, the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh has decided to enhance the defect liability period for contractors to three years for road construction and re-carpeting projects. Until now, the liability period was only one year.

Sources said that in all tenders recently floated for road re-carpeting projects worth Rs 41 crore, the Municipal Corporation has increased the defect liability period from one year to three years.

Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla said the MC is committed to providing high-quality roads to the citizens. With the increase in the defect liability period, she said, contractors will be under greater pressure to use better quality materials during construction, ensuring that roads last longer and do not deteriorate within a few years.

She added that this will also save the civic body a significant amount of money currently spent on frequent annual maintenance.

The tenders issued by the Engineering Department of the MC for re-carpeting of V4, V5, and V6 roads now carry the revised defect liability clause. The maintenance of V3, V4, V5, V6 roads, along with roads in villages, falls under the purview of the Municipal Corporation.

Recently, the V3 roads, with a total length of 275 km—typically sector-dividing roads—have been transferred to the Chandigarh Administration due to lack of funds.

V4 roads bisect sectors and have shopping areas and other public conveniences along them.

V5 roads are located in front of markets, while V6 roads lie in front of residential areas. Many of these roads have not been re-carpeted for the past 5-6 years. In several cases, roads were damaged within five years of being re-carpeted.

RK Garg, a city resident, said that the quality of road construction needs to be improved. He added that the defect liability period should be extended to at least five years.

Garg said if the responsibility for road maintenance lies with the contractor for a longer period, they will be compelled to ensure better construction quality.