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A kutcha road in Saranda where construction work is on under PMGSY
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Ranchi, Oct. 18: The state rural works department has sent a two-member team of engineers to inspect the quality of ongoing construction work for 13 roads measuring 130km in Saranda.
The state government has engaged contractors to build the roads, as part of the Rs 249-crore Saranda Development Plan, under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
The Union rural development ministry has provided the funds for setting up durable PCC (Portland Cement Concrete) roads in the West Singhbhum forest.
“We have sent the team of engineers a couple of days ago and kept the visit a low-key affair to help them do their task independently. The team will assess the quality of roads being laid and quality of material used,” rural works department principal secretary S.K. Satpathy told The Telegraph.
The team comprises an employee of Calcutta-based engineering consultant B Paul & Company — which has been roped in for monitoring various PMGSY projects in the state — and an executive engineer of Jharkhand State Rural Roads Development Authority.
Special executive officer of Saranda Development Plan S.R. Natesh was also unaware about the team’s visit.
Satpathy said that the team would return in a day or two and submit details of their findings. “We will take appropriate action only after the recommendations of the team. But if quality of work is found to be sub-standard, we will ask the contractors to abide by the specifications or face the music,” he maintained.
The total cost of the PMGSY projects in Saranda is about Rs 75 crore.
“As against the normal practice of a mix of blacktop (bituminous) and PCC, the stretches in Saranda will be fully based on PCC as they are last longer and are easy to maintain,” explained P. Anjana Devi, technical secretary of the rural works department.
The Centre has also sanctioned a whopping sum of Rs 186 crore to execute 56 bridge schemes under PMGSY in several districts including Giridih, Koderma, Lohardaga, Chatra, Bokaro, Palamau and Hazaribagh.
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