Civic body keeps part of its promise by filling 477 trenches in two days; says that contractors hired would forfeit deposit in case repair job is deemed shoddy by officials
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) claims to have repaired a total of 477 potholes and six cases of the need for patchwork on roads across the city on July 26 and 27 taking advantage of the brief lull in rainfall.
Surface tension: Apart from plugging 477 potholes, the PMC has made sure patchwork has been done in six spots in the city. Pic/Krunal Gosavi
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About 134 potholes were mended on July 27. Some 45 near Alka Talkies on Badshah Boarding Road and 35 on Dhayari Canal Road were filled in using cold mix. Work on potholes near DSK Vishwa is still in progress and only 27 of them have been repaired. PMC workers worked day and night for two straight days to achieve the task. PMC officials conducted a survey of the roads at the end on Sunday.
u00a0Member of the Parliament in the Rajya Sabha and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) city unit chief Vandana Chavan held a meeting with Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) road department officials on the pothole issue on Friday when the PMC assured Chavan that all potholes would be filled in threedays.
Mayor Vaishali Bankar announced that contractors would forfeit their deposits if the conditions of the roads deteriorated after rainfall.
Probe in offing
Civic officials will check whether the MiD DAY report stating the potholes are an occurrence of poor quality material being used is true. Bankar said, “If faults are found in the work of the contractor, the contractor must undo the damage within the defect liability period. The contractors will get their deposits only after the concerned officer gives them a certificate saying the work is of desired quality and it has been completed within time.” u00a0However, citizens and civic activists have demanded that not only the contractor but also concerned officers should be penalised, as the deposit amount is low compared to the contractor’s earnings for the project.
Tech talk
Civic activists have blamed the administration for the poor quality of roads. The PMC is relying heavily on the use of cold mix technology along with the use of cement blocks to fix potholes. However, the scheme has failed as the technology can only be used during low rainfall.u00a0
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