To ensure longer life for city roads,the Municipal Corporation of Delhi is set to propose an ambitious Rs 1,000 crore scheme to build roads across the capital which will be 10-12 inches thick. Chairman of MCD Standing Committee Yogender Chandolia today said he will bring a proposal to this effect while presenting the civic agencys budget estimates for 2011-2012 at a meeting of the MCD House tomorrow. We want to ensure longer life for city roads. The plan is to use ready mix concrete technology and pebble machines to build roads which will be 10-12 inches thick. To avoid the problem of digging by various agencies,space will be kept on the sides for utilities, he said. The proposal envisages spending of Rs 1,000 crore for using the technology in prominent roads in the city as well as in some rural areas,Chandolia said adding some 1000-1500 km of roads are planned. If the proposal gets a nod from the MCD House,work can be initiated in July-August this year,he said. The initial estimates say the cost might be Rs one crore per km,which may change after final estimates. There will be a 25-year guarantee for the roads. A similar project is in the pipeline in the city of Nagpur, Chandolia said. He said the MCD plans to zero in on only two or three big companies for the scheme,for which tenders will be invited. To ensure that the quality is maintained,the civic body plans to start payment to contractors in instalment only after five years. We will pay through bank agreement, Chandolia said. Asked whether companies will be ready to spend money on such a project when the payment will come only after five years,he said it will not be a problem for big contractors. Six km of long-life roads,built using a different technology,was recently unveiled by Chandolia in Sadar Bazar area of the walled city. The ready mix concrete (RMC) plant for the same has been installed in the vacant site of old Idgah slaughterhouse, Chandolia said.
