The newly approved road maintenance policy is all set to roll out from next month when the road construction department will float its first tender.

Road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav told The Telegraph: “Finally, we have decided to implement the road maintenance policy from next month when the first tender will be floated for maintenance of state highways in which private contractors will be invited for the work.”

He said: “This policy is going to be a boon for the people of the state, who are now forced to travel on bad roads in the absence of maintenance. The policy will replace the existing system in which work starts five months after engineers make a proposal as it requires technical approval, administrative approval, floating of tenders and awarding of work through bidding.

“By the time work begins, the damage is bigger than what it was at the time of making the estimate. Then there is need for a revised estimate, delaying work further.

“The road maintenance policy will ensure that roads are in good shape throughout the year, as, instead of tendering for any particular repair work, the policy would tender for the complete road to be maintained by a contractor,” said minister Yadav.

Asked if the tender would be floated for any particular state highway, Nand Kishore said, “The tender will be floated for all state highways, and not just one that is damaged; it’s about maintaining roads round the year. We’ll set a deadline for completing the work, like 24-72 hours for filling a pothole and 3-14 days for repairing cracks and so on.”

The road construction department has also taken steps to ensure transparency in road maintenance. “Junior engineers have been asked to keep a close watch on the road being maintained.

“Every two days, a junior engineer will submit a report to the assistant engineer; every week the assistant engineer will submit a report to the executive engineer; every month, the executive engineer will submit a report to the superintendent engineer and every three months, the superintendent engineer will submit a report to the chief engineer. This is how the department will ensure implementation of the policy.”

The department has also ensured that contractors and engineers don’t stray from goals. “The contractor is not to be paid at once, a fixed percentage is paid every month.

“If the target is not met, then no payment is to be made and the defaulting agency is to be blacklisted and debarred and disciplinary action taken against the contractor. The same goes for the engineers; if they submit wrong reports, departmental action would be initiated against them,” said Nand Kishore.

“The department has called a meeting of engineers and contractors on Monday to discuss implementation of the policy. Maintenance of roads, flyovers and bridges will be carried out on PPP mode,” the minister said.