Uttarakhand's 'all-weather' road caves in after few days of rainfall; NHIDCL pats contractor

Several stretches in the 889 km long all-weather road in Uttarakhand have caved in amid heavy rains in the state. ETV Bharat interviewed Sandeep Karki GM NHIDCL about the same.

Dehradun (Uttarakhand):Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream project in Uttarakhand, the all-weather road, was unable to withstand its first monsoon rains and started to collapse within 10 days, disrupting the entire highway and the connectivity of the villages. The purpose of this road, as its name suggests, is to provide connectivity throughout the year and be able to withstand difficult weather conditions. Such roads are constructed keeping in mind the challenges they are bound to face when it comes to nature's fury.

The work on the all-weather road was supposed to be completed by 2022. However, due to Covid-19, the work faced a considerable delay. So far, around Rs 12,000 crore has been spent on a stretch of 889 km long road with the Union Ministry of Road Transport and National Highways dividing the entire project into 53 parts. About 90 per cent of the work has been completed.

The all-weather road would have aided the army to reach the border and the tourists in reaching Char Dham Yatra and other religious places in lesser time. The work on the all-weather road has been completed rapidly in stretches including Rishikesh to Badrinath and Rishikesh to Gangotri Tehri Garhwal. However, given the way the road is caving in at various places, the quality and the process involved in the project have come under the scanner.

ETV Bharat spoke to Sandeep Karki GM National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) about what are the challenges they face in the project. Here are the excerpts from the interview:

ETB: What is the reason for these roads caving in?

Karki:Right now our project is under process. It is not yet completed. In such a situation, if the roads are damaged anywhere, the contractor works to fix the areas. Even after the project is completed, the contractor will maintain it for the next four years.

ETB: What are the financial implications of it?

Karki:It is not possible to say anything. It does not matter to us how many crores have been lost. We have given a lump sum amount of money to the contractor. Only the contractor would be able to tell how much he spent and how much he lost. However, the state government has not suffered any loss in this since the work is being completed by the central government. If the contractor does a good job then he reaps the benefit of it. If he does bad work, then he will also suffer losses. That is why we have made it clear to the contractor that no amount of negligence will be tolerated in the work.

ETB: Is there any negligence in the entire project? And if there is, any investigation that has been carried out?

Karki:There is no negligence in it. It is just that it has suddenly rained so much in the mountains. Due to this, all the roads in the mountains are forced to be closed since much of the road stretch has caved in. So how can we make any allegations of negligence when it is a natural calamity.

ETB: It is an all-weather road. Isn't it supposed to survive rains?

Karki:Right now I cannot say anything regarding this whole matter. Chardham Yatra is also going on and it is raining heavily too. I believe the contractor is doing a better job from his side. At the same time, heavy rains create the situation of roads caving in, giving rise to chances of such incidents.

ETB: Do you believe that this road will be able to withstand more rainfall in future?

Karki: I cannot comment on anything since this is a part of national policy. However, the contractor is doing better work.