For public safety, govt issues directives for road maintenance

Bhubaneswar: To provide safe, sustainable and efficient connectivity for people and goods and to improve the quality and durability of road network, the state govt has issued a set of guidelines for the maintenance of state highways, major district roads and other district roads.The public works department (PWD) rolled out a structured mechanism aimed at ensuring zero complaints and establishing full accountability across all sections of PWD roads in the state, especially in urban pockets.As per the guidelines, the govt mandated that every stretch of road must be under either ongoing development work, a defect liability period (DLP), or a designated maintenance contract. Officials said contractors responsible for road development projects must ensure the upkeep of those stretches during the DLP.“For all other stretches, the govt will adopt either short-term maintenance contracts (STMC) or performance-based maintenance contracts (PBMC), depending on the road condition and development timeline,” the guidelines read.It stated that STMCs will be implemented on stretches where development work is likely to begin within a year. These contracts, usually spanning one year, are expected to bridge the gap until major work begins.

Similarly, PBMCs, considered a long-term maintenance model, will be taken up on structurally sound stretches where no major widening or upgrading is planned in the next five to seven years.The PBMC model outlines three distinct components — rectification to be completed within six months, covering pothole repair, crack sealing, concrete slab replacement, culvert cleaning, jungle clearance and signage installation.Periodic maintenance includes profile correction, patchwork, bituminous concrete overlays, shoulder repair and road marking, while routine maintenance is done on a monthly lump-sum basis, with a benchmark cost of Rs 5.13 lakh per km/year.The PWD department directed its engineers to prepare annual maintenance requirements between Oct and Dec each year. This will allow the govt to issue sanctions and complete bidding processes before the end of the financial year.To ensure transparency, the department introduced a software or mobile app-based defect monitoring system. Field engineers will upload real-time defect data, timelines and action taken reports, enabling automated penalty calculations and compliance tracking.“Frequent inspections and quality control checks will be conducted as per Indian Roads Congress and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways guidelines. The department also streamlined budget allocation, ensuring maintenance funds are routed through different mechanisms,” a works department official said.