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Indian Express
16-07-2025
- Indian Express
Contractors served notices over road damages under Defect Liability Period, told to repair them at own expense
IN A major crackdown against defaulting contractors for road damages across the state, within 17 municipal corporations and 149 municipalities limits, the state government has issued notices and penalised several contractors. As massive public anger and backlash followed the collapse of Gambhira bridge in Vadodara on July 9, and with the corporation elections due within a year, the civic bodies have issued notices to over 25 contractors falling within the Defect Liability Period (DLP), who have been asked to repair 659 km of damaged roads across 17 municipal corporations. Sources in the state government stated that this is the first such massive campaign against contractors over road damages. Explanatory notices have also been issued to the engineering staffers of municipal corporations. 'The repair work is closely monitored centrally, daily, and the municipal corporations and municipalities have been directed to rectify the damages at the earliest. Wherever negligence will be found, corporations will take stern action against whoever is responsible,' M Thennarasan, Principal Secretary, Urban Development and Urban Housing Department, told The Indian Express. Meanwhile, the government has claimed to have repaired 99 per cent of damaged roads in the state. As on Wednesday, 577 km of road stretches, which had been damaged, were repaired and 16,665 out of 16,832 potholes stood repaired across the state's municipal corporations, it said. While the Surat Municipal Corporation issued notices to nine road contractors, it penalised them to the tune of Rs 50.42 lakh for potholes and damages found on the roads during the Defect Liability Period (DLP). SMC officials claim that almost all the major roads in the city have been repaired. Surat Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agrawal said, 'Since the last five days, we have been running a drive to repair and resurface the roads in Surat city. The work is done in all nine zones in the city limits. We first issued notices to the road contractors and later penalised them to the tune of Rs 50.42 lakh. The two hot mix plants of SMC operate as per the demand of the zones. Both plants have been working 24/7 for the last few days to meet the demand for hot bitumen and other materials. Till now, over 270 roads within the city limits have been made, and over 4,000 tonnes of bitumen have been used. SMC is personally looking after the repairing and resurfacing work.' Similarly, in Vadodara city, while 12 contractors have been issued notices and penalised to the tune of Rs 18 lakh, show-cause notices have been issued to nine deputy engineers of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation. 'Out of a total of 3,300 potholes, 3,000 have been repaired. Out of 38.42 km of damaged road, 37.48 km has been repaired, the remaining work will be completed by tomorrow (Thursday). Also, bitumen patchwork has been completed on 18 km of stretches. Notices have been issued to deputy engineers and they have been asked for explanations for lack of attention towards their work. If their explanation is not found satisfactory, disciplinary action will be taken against them,' Arun Mahesh Babu, Municipal Commissioner of Vadodara, told this paper. In Junagadh, notices to three contractors were issued recently while the process of issuing notices to another two is underway as part of a citywide drive, Junagadh Municipal Commissioner Tejas Parmar told this paper. Similarly, nearly three engineers and two contractors have been penalised in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) too, officials stated. In Ahmedabad alone, over 7,200 potholes have been repaired this monsoon. 'If various contractors in the state still do not complete the repairs of roads under the DLP within the stipulated time frame, or if any accident or loss of life occurs due to their negligence, strict criminal action will be taken against them. No contractor who shows negligence will be spared and strictest action will be taken against them as per the law,' the state government stated on Wednesday. The Urban Development Department has completed more than 99 per cent of the work on a war footing in the eight municipal corporations — Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Junagadh. 'In these older eight municipal corporations, out of 312 km of dilapidated roads, more than 310.68 km of roads have been repaired. The remaining works will also be completed quickly within a week. Apart from this, asphalt patch work has been completed on a total of 55.86 km of roads,' the government stated. Further, 15,123 potholes were reported post rain in these eight municipal corporations of which 15,004 have been filled, the government said. Out of the total 15,985 complaints received by these corporations regarding roads, potholes, cave-ins and waterlogging, 14,633 have been disposed off and the remaining will also be resolved immediately, the government assured. In the new nine municipal corporations, the Urban Development Department has repaired more than 266 km of roads out of around 347 km long damaged roads in Mehsana, Nadiad, Anand, Navsari, Vyapi, Surendranagar, Morbi, Gandhidham and Porbandar. In addition, asphalt patch work has been completed on a total of 10 km of roads. There were 1,709 potholes on various roads in these nine municipalities, out of which 1,661 have been repaired. Further, out of a total of 676 complaints received related to roads, potholes, cave-ins and waterlogging, 649 have been resolved. In addition, out of a total of 2,951 potholes and pits on roads falling under the six Regional Commissioners of Municipalities of the state, namely Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot and Ahmedabad, 1,878 have been filled. Also, out of a total of 834 complaints received in these six Regional Commissioners of Municipalities, 818 complaints have been disposed of immediately.
Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Indian Express
Hatkeshwar Bridge in the heart of Ahmedabad city ‘unfit' for last three years
The collapse of a 43-year-old bridge in Gujarat's Vadodara that claimed several lives early Wednesday brought the Hatkeshwar Bridge under the spotlight. Built at a cost of Rs 40 crore to connect Khokhra and CTM crossroads in Ahmedabad, the bridge was closed for the public following multiple tender processes, owing to structural safety issues. More than three years later, it still stares at uncertainty. A short-term Rs 9 crore tender, issued last month, this time with a revised policy of issuing separate tenders for demolition and reconstruction, has attracted four bids. A decision is expected this month after approvals from the Standing Committee and the Roads and Buildings Committee of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. This was the first single bid received for the demolition work and thus the tender was reissued in June — and this was the six tender issued since 2023. 'The work order of demolition of the bridge from the pile cap bottom level, once awarded, has to be completed within six months. This time, four companies have shown interest and thus a decision will be taken this month,' a senior AMC official told The Indian Express. The bridge was constructed during 2015-2017 by Ajay Engineering Pvt Ltd (AIEPL) with a defect liability of one year and was inaugurated in the year 2017. However, within three years, the first cracks developed on it in March 2021. Soon in 2022, it was closed for vehicular traffic after being found 'unsafe' by lab tests conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and after Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT) Surat confirmed the 'poor quality' of the bridge. In April 2023, then AMC Commissioner M Thennarasan announced the decision to demolish the bridge. Following a report, AIEPL and Project Management Consultant (PMC) SGS India Pvt Limited were blacklisted. Also, four AMC officers were suspended and departmental enquiries were initiated against them. An FIR was also filed for criminal conspiracy and fraud. Between 2023 and 2024, four tenders were issued by the same company to demolish and reconstruct the bridge. Rajasthan-based Vishnu Prakash R Punglia Limited had also applied for another tender, a fourth one, in August 2024 worth Rs 51.7 crore, but the company was not awarded the project after it failed technical evaluation. 'Even after the same company issued tenders four times for breaking and reconstruction (of the bridge), the AMC did not elicit the required response. The fourth time though, after modifications in the conditions, there were issues in the rates quoted and nobody took the risk (of repairing it),' a senior AMC official privy to the project told this paper. It was also revealed that the company had submitted its bid of Rs 118 crore against the tender of Rs 51.7 crore, more than double the estimated cost. The Leader of Opposition in the AMC, Shehzad Khan Pathan, has been repeatedly questioning the ruling BJP party over the 'poor quality' of the bridge and now the indecision. 'It has been 1,000 days and still the ruling government has not been able to act. Neither the bridge has been demolished nor constructed despite AMC having such experts and engineers. If this is the condition of Ahmedabad, being a smart city, one can imagine the situation in villages,' Pathan told this paper. Sources also revealed that the original contractor AIEPL was keen to reassign the work.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Four cos bid for demolition of Hatkeshwar bridge
Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is moving forward with its plan to demolish the controversial Hatkeshwar flyover bridge. Its second attempt to dismantle the structure is gaining traction after a short-term tender for the work, valued at Rs 9.3 crore, was issued last week. Four companies have expressed interest and submitted their bids and a decision will be taken soon, sources said. The proposal will soon be presented to the roads and buildings committee and the standing committee for approval. Constructed between 2015 and 2017 at a cost of Rs 34 crore, the Hatkeshwar flyover was inaugurated in 2017. But within five years, it deteriorated, leading to its closure for vehicular traffic in 2022. The construction was carried out by contractor Ajay Engineering Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. (AEIPL), with a defect liability period of one year. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad The first cracks on the structure appeared in March 2021, with a report on the poor quality of construction following in May 2021. Material tests by three private laboratories and expert assessments from IIT Roorkee and SVNIT confirmed the issues, culminating in a final report by a three-member committee. The report highlighted several critical flaws: substandard concrete quality, improper water-cement ratio leading to porous concrete, carbonation affecting durability, and insufficient cement content, all contributing to reduced structural integrity. On April 15, 2023, AMC commissioner M Thennarasan announced the decision to demolish the bridge, blacklisting the contractor AEIPL and the project management consultant (PMC) SGS India Pvt Ltd. Four AMC officers were suspended, and departmental inquiries were initiated against four others. An FIR was filed against eight officials of the contractor firm and the PMC under IPC sections 120(B), 406, and 420. The civic body plans to recover all demolition and reconstruction costs from the contractor. Despite issuing three tenders for the project, no bids were received. A fourth tender, with a base price of Rs 51.7 crore, attracted a bid of Rs 118 crore from a Rajasthan-based company, but the tender was ultimately cancelled after a technical evaluation by a five-member committee. An official associated with the AMC's bridge project said on condition of anonymity, "The tender for the demolition and reconstruction of the Hatkeshwar flyover bridge was cancelled, and a new tender was issued for the work at a cost of only Rs. 9.31 crore. Initially, no company showed interest. Subsequently, a short-term tender was issued, and four companies have shown interest. The tender process is ongoing. Once finalized and approved by the standing committee, the demolition of the Hatkeshwar flyover will commence. "
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Gujarat to host 2029 World Police & Fire Games
BLURB: This positions India as the first South Asian nation to host the biennial event since the Games' inception in 1985 Gandhinagar: India was awarded the hosting rights for the 2029 World Police & Fire Games (WPFG), and these games are scheduled to be held across Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Ekta Nagar in Kevadia, the state govt said on Thursday. The biennial event is expected to welcome over 10,000 athletes from more than 70 countries, representing police, fire, customs, and correctional services. This positions India as the first South Asian nation to host the WPFG since the Games' inception in 1985. The announcement followed India's final presentation to the California Police Athletic Federation (CPAF), the governing body of the games, on June 25 in Birmingham, Alabama. India now joins a prestigious group of past host nations, including Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, China, and the United States, affirming its arrival as a central player in the global multi-sport ecosystem, an official statement said. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad The bid underwent a technical and administrative evaluation process over a period of 15 months. The bid team from Gujarat during the final presentation at Birmingham included Ashwini Kumar, principal secretary (sports, youth, and cultural activities) and M Thennarasan, principal secretary (urban development & urban housing), highlighting the state's preparedness and commitment towards delivering the games. "Building on the success of the 36th National Games in 2022, the 2029 WPFG adds credibility to Gujarat's ambitions of becoming the country's leading destination for high-performance, multi-sport events. With over 15 venues already operational, the games will leverage existing infrastructure while introducing global-standard overlays and operational systems," the govt said.
Indian Express
17-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Gujarat govt transfers 13 IAS officers
Gujarat government, on Tuesday, transferred 13 IAS officers in the state. A Gujarat-cadre IAS officer of 2000-batch, M Thennarasan, has been appointed as Principal Secretary of Urban Development and Urban Housing Department replacing Aswhani Kumar, a 1997-batch officer. Thennarasan is currently holding the post of Principal Secretary of Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities Department. Kumar has been transferred as Principal Secretary of Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities Department. However, he will continue to hold the additional charge of the post of Principal Secretary of Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Department. In the same transfer order, the government has relieved Kumar from the additional charge of Principal Secretary of Ports and Transport Department and given the responsibility to R C Meena, who is Principal Secretary of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department. Milind Torwane, the Managing Director of Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Limited (GSPC), has been transferred and appointed as the Principal Secretary of Panchayat, Rural Housing and Rural Development Department. He will also hold the additional charge of the post of Commissioner of Rural Development. Torwane has also been given additional charge as MD of GSPC till further orders. Rajkot Collector Prabhav Joshi has been transferred and appointed as MD of Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited. Municipal Commissioner of Junagadh Municipal Corporation (JMC) Om Prakash has been appointed as Rajkot Collector whereas, MD of Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Limited in Vadodara Tejas Parmar has been appointed as Municipal Commissioner of JMC. The Collector of Panchamahals-Godhra Ashish Kumar has been transferred and appointed as Director of Tribal Development.
