Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Abhijeet Chaudhari issued directives on Thursday to penalize three contractors for their failure to adequately restore roads that were dug up for water pipeline installation under the Amrut 2.0 schemes. The contractors facing penalties are Abhi Engineering Private Limited, Goodwill Constructions, and SM Constructions.
As per the media report, sources revealed that these firms will face hefty daily fines for delays in road restoration. Chaudhari has instructed the NMC administration to ensure all roads are restored before the monsoon. This decision follows a severe accident on Abhyankar Nagar Road, where a two-wheeler rider lost control due to poor road conditions. Chaudhari has given Abhi Engineering Pvt Limited a new 48-hour deadline to restore the stretch from LAD Square to the VNIT rear gate.
The commissioner’s directive aims to hold the contractors accountable for their negligence and prevent future incidents. “I have also directed the Water Works and Public Works Department to ensure trenches are restored properly soon after testing,” Chaudhari told the local daily.
Chaudhari has given contractors 48 hours to restore dug-up trenches at existing sites. On Thursday, he held meeting with Chief Engineer Rajiv Gaikwad, Superintending Engineers Leena Upadhayay, Manoj Talewar, Shweta Banerjee, and representatives from contractors’ agencies to review the progress of water pipeline installations under the Amrut project.
The NMC has nine contractors working on the feeder line, with six packages for the feeder line and four for household connections. The project aims to strengthen the water supply network in the West, Southwest, and South assembly constituencies. Chaudhari has formed a committee led by NMC’s Chief Engineer Rajiv Gaikwad, including Superintending Engineer Shweta Banerjee, to oversee the work and ensure swift restoration of trenches. Sources indicated that Gaikwad proposed fines of Rs 1 lakh and above per day for contractors who fail to meet work order conditions, including road restoration, deploying security guards, and barricading trenches.
“Today’s meeting also decided on actions against erring contractors, including fines, legal action, blacklisting, and filing FIRs if they fail to follow guidelines,” said Gaikwad. So far, the Water Works Department has laid 20 km of pipeline, with 22 km yet to start. The civic chief has asked officials to explore ways to reduce digging on major roads for the remaining work and to slow down such activities during the monsoon season.