PDA Had Directed the Contractor to Stop Work as Soon as It Started Raining; Concerned Road Will Be Reconstructed

As per the directions of PDA Patiala Chief Administrator Aparna M.B., the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PDA) has ordered that the road work carried out during the sudden rainfall on July 4 while re-carpeting roads in Urban Estate, Phase-II be redone. It has also been directed that no payment shall be made to the executing agency for the work carried out during the rainfall.

The Divisional Engineer (Civil), PDA, stated that the road re-carpeting work is being carried out under the directions of the Chief Administrator. On that day, the agency commenced the work only after the weather had cleared. However, during the execution of the work, heavy rain started unexpectedly, following which PDA officials present at the site immediately instructed the contractor to stop the work, and the agency complied with the directions.

He further said that before the rain started, the agency had laid the bituminous material, and during the rainfall only the already-laid material was levelled. Nevertheless, the agency has now been directed to scrape off and relay the portion of the road affected by the rain. No payment will be released to the agency for the work executed during the rainfall.

The PDA official further informed that, following the directions of Chief Administrator Aparna M.B., the concerned PDA staff revisited the site today for inspection. People present at the site also confirmed that the work had been stopped immediately after the rain began. However, despite this, PDA is committed to ensuring that there is no compromise in the quality of any work and that all works are executed strictly in accordance with prescribed norms and standards. Accordingly, the agency has been directed to reconstruct the concerned stretch of the road.