Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Highway repair on contract

Thiruvananthapuram: The Public Works Department (PWD) has chalked out a scheme to give contracts for repairing and maintaining select State highways and major district roads for five years.

The proposal is pending with the State Government and, if approved, it will be implemented this year, a top PWD official told The Hindu. The department has set aside Rs. 160 crore from the non-Plan fund for the scheme.

The contractor will have to do heavy maintenance of the road stretch allotted to him at least once in five years. He will have to carry out periodic maintenance and ensure that the trenches left following digging of roads by utilities for laying pipes and cables are filled.

Roads connecting district headquarters, those with heavy traffic and those leading to major pilgrim centres, educational instructions and hospitals will get priority.

The department will provide 80 per cent of the cost to the contractor on completion of heavy maintenance, 8 per cent on the fourth year and the remaining on the fifth year. Eighty per cent of the deposit collected for issuing sanction for digging of roads will be paid to the contractor.

High costs of bitumen and other materials and high wages are cited as the main reasons that prevent the department from taking up repair and maintenance even once in five years.

It has proposed to take 2,000 km of roads under the scheme every year. A decision on the stretches to be included will be taken after getting the Government’s approval.

The department will sign agreements with the contractors. Nearly 4,810 km of State highways and 9,425 km of major district roads fall under it.

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