The government has taken a big decision to give new strength to the roads of Delhi. In the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) meeting held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of CM Rekha Gupta, projects worth Rs 657.99 crore were approved for strengthening of various roads of 270.63 km length. CM said that with this project the roads of the capital will be made more safe, sustainable and better. This will improve the quality of many major routes of East, North and South Delhi. Besides, road infrastructure can be strengthened as per modern standards.
CM said that an estimated cost of Rs 147.08 crore will be spent on strengthening of 58.292 km long roads in the Eastern Maintenance Zone of PWD, Rs 247.31 crore on 104.42 km long roads in the Northern Maintenance Zone and Rs 263.61 crore on 107.92 km long roads in the Southern Maintenance Zone. The government is committed to making the roads of the capital stronger, durable and of quality. For this purpose, it has been decided to implement the road strengthening works on zone wise basis.
Cold milling and bituminous concrete work
The Chief Minister said that to strengthen the roads, work of cold milling (removing the upper layer of the old and deteriorated road by machine), dense bituminous macadam (laying a thick base layer of asphalt and stone to strengthen the road) and bituminous concrete (laying the topmost smooth and durable layer of the road) will be done.
He said, apart from this, all necessary works including tack coat (making special coating for strong adhesion between the old and new road layer), road marking (marking lanes, zebra crossings and other traffic signs on the road), road furniture (installing sign boards, reflectors, divider markers, safety barriers etc.) and curb channel (making roadside concrete curbs and rain water drainage system) will be done.
Zone wise composite tender system
He said that instead of the traditional road-wise tender system, zone-wise composite tender system is being adopted for the first time. This will allow better use of modern machinery and technology. The quality of works can be monitored more effectively. Responsibility for maintenance will also be decided after construction. Delhi government is paying special attention not only to construction works but also to quality and transparency. Defect liability period of five years has been fixed in all projects.
The Chief Minister said that during the implementation of this project, all necessary standards related to dust control and air quality improvement will be ensured. For this, tenders have been prepared as per the framework prescribed by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). Along with providing safer and easier transportation to citizens, better roads will also play an important role in reducing dust pollution and improving the environment of the capital.
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