Engineers, contractors of civic body to blame : The Tribune India

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Open House: Rains have damaged elevated road near Mullanpur

Engineers, contractors of civic body to blame

If we can adopt online and transparent system in college admissions, then the same can be used in Municipal Corporation also.

Engineers, contractors of civic body to blame

Residents say poor material is being used in many projects which becomes one of the reasons for accidents, especially during the rainy season. A file photo



If we can adopt online and transparent system in college admissions, then the same can be used in Municipal Corporation also. The MC should upload every month expenditure made by it on the city's maintenance. This will help citizens know what is happening with money they pay as taxes. Regular updates can also indicate whether the investment is being done in right direction, as per the MC norms, or not. Area-to-area inspection of roads is also needed before monsoon. Every area has its own needs and requirements. All requirements should be taken care of.  

Manmeet Kaur 


Poor material used in laying roads

In past, we have seen many accidents due to poor condition of roads which have taken lives of many people. In Mumbai, several people get killed due to potholes on roads. The authorities there are not paying attention to the matter. All over India, most of the roads are vandalised in rainy season due to poor material used and sub-standard maintenance.  Similarly, roads in our city have the same condition. One can easily become a prey of pothole and get killed or injured badly. Every year, the Ludhiana MC puts a lot of funds into repairing, but the actual benefit never reaches public because of loopholes in the system. The authorities give contracts to their benefactors and in return get commission. The contractors use poor material which in turn makes the roads worse than before. The authorities turn deaf ears if a complaint is lodged with them. 

Rattandeep Singh Oberoi 


Collaborate with private firms 

Due to heavy rainfall the elevated road near the Mullanpur area is damaged. The road is not safe for the commuters. People face many problems. Not only this, rain water also gets accumulated here and causes a lot of diseases. Government authorities must do collaboration with private sector and build the road properly. In this area, the chances of accidents are increasing at alarming rate. Proper action must be taken by the MC for the safety of commuters. The potholes on the road must be repaired quickly by the government authority. 

Manpriya kaur


MC engineers must be held responsible 

The responsibility of roads damaged due to rains being unsafe for commuters, as in case of damaged elevated road near Mullanpur, lies mainly on the Municipal Corporation. The corporation engineers under whose supervision the roads have been built must be held responsible. These highly paid technical officers must check if roads are constructed according to the specifications. It is their moral responsibility to check if material used for construction is of good quality.  Also, equal attention must be paid for the safety of commuters on the roads. All roads must be installed with lights. These roads should be inspected by the MC regularly if there are potholes or not. During rains, potholes must be repaired immediately. The public must also participate in making roads safe for themselves. The corporation may assign a separate telephone number in its office. People can call on such number and inform about poor condition of roads in city. 

Dr G Dev 


Timely maintenance can avoid mishaps  

Bridge failures can lead to injuries, loss of life and property. Often, causes of bridge failure are difficult to find, because they occur due to resistance and load. The failure can be because of flaws in detailing documents submitted by a contractor with engineer's approval, errors in construction practice, poor material, environmental deterioration over time or inadequate maintenance and inspection. One of the main problems is bridges are not monitored. They are inspected as a visual inspection by an expert once every two years. A bridge should be measured on the indicators such as strain, vibration and flexibility. Monitoring devices to records stresses on bridge should be installed carefully. Timely maintenance and inspection can help avoiding mishaps. The contractor's job is not only to manufacture roads and bridges, but his job actually starts when the bridge is open for public. If role of a contractor, engineer or a minister is found to be suspicious in a mishap then they should not be spared. Human life is precious and it should be protected at any cost.  

Dr Jasdeep Kaur


Use RTI Act against MC 

Rains bring respite from scorching heat of summers, play a vital role in growth of vegetation, but also bring a huge problem of waterlogging. This problem further leads to road breakdown and potholes. Such situation is problematic for commuters as many of them lose their lives. To stop this, preparation should begin early and authorities should remain on their toes throughout the year. The residents adopt lackadaisical attitude when it comes to maintenance of infrastructure. Instead of complaining, everyone pass the buck to government authorities, grumble a bit and move ahead blaming the system and losing hope of any positive change in future. We should understand that it is our duty to let the MC know about the flaws which can aggravate in future. Thus, the onus lies on citizens to raise their voice against wrong deeds and use tools like RTI Act to make the authorities accountable for their decisions. 

Deepak Nagpal 


Switch to concrete roads 

Poor condition of roads are not new in India. Be it the metropolitans, cities or the villages; damaged roads can be seen everywhere. Governments fail to overcome the prime factors responsible for bad road networks such as pre-construction issues,  investigate and design issues, dearth of construction management skills, insufficient funds and corruption at root level. Moreover, to build a strong network of weather proof roads, there is a desperate need of adoption of new technologies for road sector in India. Besides, the government should stress on building large scale concrete roads instead of the common bituminous roads. Although building concrete roads is a little expensive but it is beneficial for the country in the long run. In addition, Governments should work hard to make use of programmes and policies that allow for better monitoring and evaluation of decision making.  

Ravi Chander Garg 


Send culprits behind bars

The Tribune has reported so many times the problem related with public concerns in Ludhiana. Recently, news was published regarding some snag at super express elevated road and bridge near bus stand and Chand Cinema. But local government is not paying attention to sort it out. Now, the rain has damaged elevated road near Mullanpur which causes a serious problem to commuters. There can be loss of property and life, if timely attention is not given. There are so many reasons of such failures. Firstly, a company which is taking a contract to built elevated roads and bridges must be held responsible if any mishap occurs. Secondly, there must be a periodical inspection of elevated roads and bridges as one cannot construct these in very short span of time. The best quality of material should be used while constructing elevated roads and bridges with some pre inspection and sampling. If any engineer or contractor found guilty must be sent behind the bars.

Dr Mohd Saleem Farooqui


Authorities concerned should wake up 

Damage and failure of highways in our country is a routine matter resulting in causing the inconvenience to the commuters. The engineers who are responsible for these types of lapses should be taken to task, especially the Executive Engineers who are hand in glove with executing companies. They use the below specifications materials such as cement , plasticizer and especially the bitumen. In the construction of pavements, the water-cement ratio plays a vital role which should be adhered to, while constructing the pavements .This may have been the reason for the damaged elevated road near Mullanpur. Till the officers concerned do not work with dead honesty, these types of incidents will be a never ending process. So, it is high time that the authorities concerned should wake up and even should not hesitate to blacklist the corrupt contractors. 

Bir Devinder Singh Bedi


OPEN HOUSE COMMENT

Take punitive action against those who fail to deliver

Minna Zutshi

Rats bring down a flyover wall! A brief spell of rains brings 'craters' on elevated road - vehicles move on this road with trepidation, fearing that the road may become a death trap. These things sound weird and exaggerated stories far removed from truth. Unfortunately, Ludhiana, the industrial hub of Punjab has 'seen' these 'strange stories' happen with surprising regularity. The city's latitude of tolerance continues to increase and the authorities continue to slumber (either by design or by default). Politicians make a few noises as and when it suits them. The solution? Hold those at the helm of the affairs accountable. A road giving way after a drizzle clearly indicates there has been some slip-up either in design or construction (of the road). Take punitive action against those failing in their public duty. Expose corrupt practices that harm and endanger the lives of the people. This is not a tall order, if there is clarity of purpose and willingness on the part of ruling dispensation, bureaucrats and political leaders, and if media maintains its integrity and honesty, without any fear or favour. Last but not the least, there is an urgent need for regular road safety audits. 

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