The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) has imposed a fine of INR 1 crore on contractor Strabag two months after the approach road of Atal Setu, India's longest sea bridge, cracked.
The ambitious bridge connecting Ulwe in Navi Mumbai to South Mumbai was inaugurated in January 2024 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Right to Information (RTI) activist Anil Gangali said, “MMRDA said that during the inspection in case of potholes on the Atal Setu road, some small potholes were found on the road connecting Ramp 5 of the bridge. Although it was not part of the main bridge, the potholes were urgently repaired in the third week of June 2024. A show-cause notice has been issued to the contractor Strabag in this regard.”
According to documents obtained by Galgali, “On June 22, 2024, MMRDA Chief Engineer D.M. Chamalwar issued a notice to the contractor, Strabag, saying that even though the road work was completed on January 5, 2024, the quality of work was not up to par."
“Subsequently, Atal Setu's consultant KR Shivanand sent a notice of Rs 1 crore to Strabag, a contractor, to rectify the above issue within 48 hours of receiving this notice. Further, provide a detailed action plan outlining the measures you will take to rectify these defects and bring the pavement quality up to the required standard,” the notice said.
The MMRDA, in an official statement in June, clarified that minor potholes were found on the road connecting the Atal Setu at Ulwe, which is not part of the bridge but a service road connecting the bridge. It also stated that the cracks are not due to structural defects in the project and there is no threat to the structure of the bridge.
According to Anil Galgali, every project should be monitored by MMRDA every 6 months so that mistakes made in quality and solid work can be rectified immediately. It is right that such contractors have been fined, but it is equally necessary to blacklist the contractor Strabag to avoid repeating such mistakes in the future.
Share
Tweet
