Blame Game Between GHMC, Contractor Over Poor Road Conditions

Hyderabad: Plying on city roads is no less than a nightmare as rough and risky roads continue to haunt commuters.

A 24-year-old IBM employee - Chanakya Reddy - lost his life on Tuesday while trying to avoid a pothole on the road in Hyderabad’s hitech corridor at Madhapur.

When asked on the issue GHMC officials and the contractors pointed finger at each other. The contractors blame GHMC for shoddy road repairs, adding that they are forced to procure materials from GHMC’s bitumen mixing plants located at Chudi Bazaar and Krishnakanth Park.

“Even if we consider that contractors are not doing job properly then what is civic body’s quality control cell doing about it,” quips R Hanumanth Sagar, General Secretary, Contractors Association of GHMC.

On the other hand, GHMC has been awarding the contacts to firms who have been blacklisted in the past for substandard work.

Incidentally, four years ago GHMC blacklisted few contractors for two years for poor quality of work but now they are eligible to participate in the bidding process as their period has come to an end.

Following are the contractors - R Anand, Vemula Srinivasulu, Irfan Ahmed, Ms Sri Laxmi WLCCS, Vemula Raju, Ch Raju Reddy , Kommula Laxmaiah and K Murali Krishna.

While GHMC is blaming the contractors but question also rises about the quality control and as to how contractors are awarded despite poor quality of work

A resident of Brindavan Colony said with distress that the potholes menace is everywhere even a small spell of rains batter the road, adding that, few weeks ago officials re-laid a road on Road No 10 but soon it was eroded.

While GHMC is blaming the contractors but question also rises about the quality control and as to how contractors are awarded despite poor quality of work.

According to reports, corporators are pressurizing officials to give contracts to their kin.

It may be recalled that Minister for municipal administration and urban development K T Rama Rao conducted a surprise inspection on July 12 only to admit that city roads were in bad conditions.