Ensure better quality of Delhi roads, court tells MCD

While the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is busy re-surfacing the city's roads ahead of the Commonwealth Games, the civic agency was Thursday told by the Delhi High Court to ensure "better life" for the roads so that they do not "crumble with the onset of the monsoon".

Justice Kailash Gambhir said, "The MCD shall indicate as to whether they have acquired two machines, namely jet-patching and infra-red heater, and within how much time the said machines will be functional on the roads of Delhi."

The MCD is responsible for construction and maintenance of 94 percent of roads in Delhi.

The MCD earlier told the court that pot-holed roads will soon be a rare sight in Delhi, courtesy a 'Municipal Laboratory' recently upgraded and equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to test samples taken from road construction.

"The Municipal Laboratory has been technically upgraded and has obtained ISO 9001 certification. Now, the laboratory is fully equipped with the latest machines to test samples of road construction as per the CPWD specifications," MCD counsel Maninder Acharya earlier told the court.

The civic agency has also pooled in the expertise of the Sri Ram Institute for Industrial Research and the Regional Testing Centre to conduct quality checks on samples of road projects worth between Rs.5 lakh and Rs.25 lakh, counsel said.

Not satisfied, Justice Gambhir directed the civic agency to prepare a time-bound schedule for the construction of roads that meet international standards.

It said, "MCD will file an additional affidavit as to whether they are adopting modern technology for re-laying the roads for ensuring better quality and standard of Delhi roads, and also for their better life tenure so that the roads do not crumble with the onset of monsoon."

The court also directed the civic agency to consult the Public Works Department (PWD) and Central Road Research Institute to introduce proper mechanism for re-surfacing the city roads.

The court asked the MCD to file a detailed affidavit by April 7