'Surat Municipal Corporation engineers be made accountable for poor roads'

SURAT: With a view to bring a permanent
solution to the deteriorating condition of
the roads in Diamond City, the standing
committee of Surat Municipal Corporation
(SMC) wants urban planners to fix
responsibility of civic engineers for their
negligence.
Chairman, standing committee, Rajesh
Desai said road contractors are submitting
tenders for metal grouting at the value
below 50 per cent. It is the responsibility of
the engineers of different municipal zones
to check whether the contractors are using
quality material for metal grouting work
on internal and external roads of the city.
"The responsibility should be fixed for the
engineers of civic body for not checking
the metal grouting work done by the
contractors. In most of the cases, the
contractors submit lowest tenders and use
low quality material leading to damages
during the heavy rains," Desai said.
As per SMC statistics, around 3,650 square
metre of roads in the internal areas of the
city are damaged in the seven municipal
zones. The civic body invites tender from
the contractors for the metal grouting on
the roads during the monsoon season.
A senior civic officer at Athwa zone said,
"Engineers are required to check the metal
grouting work done by the contractors on a
regular basis. If the engineers are negligent
then the contractors would use low grade
material and perform improper grouting
work, causing the roads to damage in a
heavy downpour."