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Time of India
30-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Need to revive field sampling system, increase vigil for quality devpt works
Arun Kumar Sinha Junior doctors and highly experienced doctors perform the same duties: examining patients and prescribing appropriate treatment. In the case of technocrats (govt engineers), junior officers oversee fieldwork, whereas senior officers often get disconnected from ground realities. Burdened with administrative responsibilities or other factors, senior engineers gradually lose touch with on-site learning and practical exposure. Several instances have been observed where senior technocrats, seemingly frustrated, instruct junior staff to overlook critical issues for various reasons. In early 2020, a 'think tank committee' was established at the Public Works Department headquarters under the leadership of the then minister. A presentation was made on measures to involve senior officers more actively in fieldwork to enhance quality and service delivery. An earlier case was revisited in which there was a dispute with a contractor regarding the quantity of material supplied for a road construction project. When the matter of overpayment was raised, a senior officer responded that he was not concerned about right or wrong, he only appreciated the one who could manage the "business" in an amicable manner. It was suggested at the time to revive the old 'sampling' system, which was once widely followed. Under this system, all technocrats — from junior engineer to chief engineer — would spend time at construction sites during the early and middle phases of a project to personally inspect samples of ongoing work. While the suggestion was acknowledged as relevant and actionable, no official instructions or office orders have been issued thus far. Established in 1867, the age-old framework of UPPWD has operated effectively for decades. However, like many other govt departments, the quality and productivity within UPPWD have seen a decline over time. It is strongly recommended that the sampling practice be made mandatory for all officials involved in fieldwork to ensure accountability and maintain quality standards. Furthermore, in 2012, the then Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog) introduced a new contracting model — EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) — to accelerate the pace of projects. While the EPC model has facilitated faster completion of projects undertaken by both NHAL and PWD, it has inherent flaws. Under this model, the entire design is developed by the agency hired by the contractor. These designs and drawings are then reviewed first by a proof consultant and subsequently by an independent consulting firm, known as the authority engineer. This approach carries the risk that the contractor may propose designs that prioritize cost-efficiency, sometimes at the expense of safety or quality. During the supervision of the Agra- Lucknow Expressway construction project, it was found that many proof consultants rarely highlighted critical flaws in the designs to govt authorities. In some cases, consultants appeared to endorse designs without thorough review. A similar pattern was noted with some of the authority engineers appointed for oversight. To reduce costs, many such consulting firms recruit individuals who accept lower compensation, thereby compromising the expertise required for such crucial tasks. Increased vigilance over proof consultants and authority engineers engaged in EPC projects is essential. In recent structural failures, investigation officers must examine whether these independent consultants overlooked design deficiencies that could have contributed to the failure. (The writer is a retired chief engineer at the UP public works department. Views are personal.)
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Govt to spend Rs 6,124 crore to boost road connectivity, infra expansion
Lucknow: In a major push to improve road connectivity and ease traffic congestion, the Uttar Pradesh govt is set to invest Rs 6,124 crore for construction of ring roads, bypasses, and flyovers across the state. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "With the goal of transforming Uttar Pradesh into 'Uttam Pradesh', the state govt is advancing infrastructure on a large-scale to expand the network of expressways. The plan is to create a gridlock layout to integrate important national highways with expressways, as well as major state highways and roads, to reduce commute time across the state," a govt spokesperson said. "Integrating the existing road network through ring roads, flyovers, and underpasses is being planned simultaneously to resolve the long-standing issues of traffic jams and congestion within key cities and urban centres," an official said. Following directives by CM Yogi Adityanath, the public works department has prepared a comprehensive blueprint that outlines road connectivity expansion for the financial year 2025-26. Under the plan, a total of 62 projects have been identified for immediate implementation. According to the roadmap, priority will be given to regions with high population density and heavy vehicular movement while rolling out civil infrastructure projects. The initiative not only aims to boost connectivity but will also improve traffic management, offering smoother and safer travel for the urban population commuting in busy cities such as Lucknow, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Agra, Bareilly, Varanasi, and Gorakhpur, among others. "Various industrial parks are also being developed at different nodes across the state to encourage manufacturing. Future freight movement, logistics, and warehousing sectors will also play a crucial role in improving economic activity in the state to realise the USD 1 trillion goal," an official said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to the outline prepared by UPPWD, priority will be accorded to cities with a population between 1 lakh and 10 lakh to provide ring roads, bypasses, and flyovers. Proposals provided by the civic bodies will be vetted, and fresh vehicular traffic volume will be instituted to corroborate the preliminary findings.
