Karnal MC blacklists agency for 2 yrs over shoddy work

The Karnal Municipal Corporation (MC) has barred an agency from participating in future bids for two years allegedly due to poor quality construction of a road in Karna Canal market. The agency has left the project incomplete, causing inconvenience to traders and commuters.

“The main issue was the quality of work. Samples of the road have failed to meet quality standards, due to which we have stopped the payments and blacklisted the agency for two years,” said Priyanka Saini, Executive Engineer (XEN), Karnal MC.

The project, which aimed at converting the pothole-ridden bitumen roads into durable cement-concrete roads, was a long-standing demand of shopkeepers, commuters and people living in nearby areas. The work was allotted in March 2024, with September 16, 2024, as the deadline and an estimated cost of Rs 2.43 crore for two 1.21-km stretches. However, work began in April due to the lack of site for preparing construction materials.

The agency also failed to complete one road of the market, it was abandoned midway. “A joint inspection will now be conducted to measure the completed work and a re-tendering process will be initiated for the remaining work. The agency has also been asked to join the inspection. The incomplete project has increased the risk of accidents and is causing difficulties for residents. Traders have also expressed frustration over delay and poor execution.

Shiv Kumar Sharma, a resident, said as the agency had left the work midway, it was impacting business. “Customers avoid visiting the market due to the poor state of roads,” said Ashish Kumar, another resident.

The authorities claimed that they would expedite the process to complete the project. “We will ensure that such shoddy work is not done again. The tender process for remaining works will be undertaken soon,” said XEN Saini.