India is set to break a world record according to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, for something rather unpleasant! The country will likely achieve the record of imposing the most number of fines and taking corrective actions against contractors responsible for poor road construction- says Gadkari. The concerned officials will also be suspended. The minister was speaking at the Indian Road Congress’ international seminar on ‘Advances in Bridge Management’ held in Bengaluru. He made it clear that accountability in road construction will be strictly enforced.
“We will have a world record of suspending people and fining contractors because I want good quality roads,” said Gadkari, highlighting his firm stance against substandard road works. He warned that both officials and contractors would face consequences for delivering poor-quality infrastructure. Improving India’s infrastructure is a larger vision that the government is working towards.
The minister acknowledged his notice of the growing number of complaints about bad road conditions, often shared on social media. He referenced the Worli Sea Link in Mumbai as an example of excellent construction, noting that even after 26 years, the expansion joints remain flawless.
He further criticized the Dwarka Expressway project, which was intended to be a high-end development but has faced issues with its expansion joints due to compromised construction standards.
The Amritsar – Jamnagar Expressway
This Expressway will take you to death instead of Jamnagar. This is the Condition of The New Expressway. The Quality of The Road Is So bad that it broke within 2 months. I had several literal Near Death Experience because the limit is 100 pic.twitter.com/WvNjV0SHv9— Aayush Maan (@AayushMaan999) September 3, 2024
To combat these problems, Gadkari emphasized the need to adopt new techniques, such as white-topping, especially in areas that experience heavy rainfall. This method, according to him, could significantly improve the durability of roads.
He also urged the Indian Road Congress (IRC) to focus on faster decision-making and to enhance road quality across the country. He stressed the importance of independent quality assessments and the integration of new technologies to ensure that India’s road infrastructure is built to the highest standards. The minister called for collaborations with research institutions to bring about these improvements.
Thus, the minister has now made it clear that India will hold those responsible for subpar road construction to account, setting an ambitious goal of breaking records for fining contractors and suspending officials in the process.
Aggressive Plans And Rising Snags!
The Indian government has been aggressively developing logistics and infrastructure in the country. Multiple new highways and expressways were made in the past few years, and many are still in the making. Also rising with the expanding road network are complaints about poorly built patches and faulty expansion joints.
Two pathetic instances of poorly built roads causing inconvenience and mishaps to the public have made headlines recently. The first was the Amritsar-Jamnagar Expressway, which is still under construction. Only a limited section of it was open to the public at the time of the incident. Despite these, the road is very loud about its poor construction.
The Amritsar – Jamnagar Expressway
This Expressway will take you to death instead of Jamnagar. This is the Condition of The New Expressway. The Quality of The Road Is So bad that it broke within 2 months. I had several literal Near Death Experience because the limit is 100 pic.twitter.com/WvNjV0SHv9— Aayush Maan (@AayushMaan999) September 3, 2024
In a video shared by X-user Aayush Maan, the pathetic condition of the Amritsar-Jamnagar expressway can be seen. Due to poor and inconsistent construction, it has deep potholes and dangerous broken patches. This patch is said to have broken down within two months of being open to the public. It is said to have had several near-death incidents so far, as the speed limit on this expressway is 100 kph and people will try to stick to it.
These deep craters and potholes are said to have developed after heavy rainfall in the area. Roads, if built poorly, will not withstand heavy downpours. The issue soon came into Gadkari’s notice, who immediately slapped a 50 lakh fine on the concerned contractor.
Another example of terrible construction is the newly inaugurated Vadodara-Bharuch section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
Another recent video showed package 9 of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, where a lot of cars seems to hit an unexpected indentation on the expressway and got airborne before having hard landings. Many of these vehicles damaged themselves in the process. An indentation of this sort is least expected on an expressway, and this increases the gravity of the situation. In immediate response, the Union minister has imposed a fine of 50 lakh on the contractor responsible for this package.
If things go as claimed, more fines and corrective measures can be seen in the future as well…
