Chennai: Velachery MLA R Kumar has asked the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to withhold payment to a contractor after flagging quality defects during an inspection of a stormwater drain (SWD) work project in Jeevarathnam Nagar.
Inspection Reveals Substandard Work
When Kumar inspected a SWD site on Jeevarathnam Nagar Second Street on Monday, he came prepared with measuring tapes. A video showed officials measuring the height of the drain, which was above the road level. Kumar then told the contractor that the concrete density of the drain was supposed to be 0.175m but the side walls were found to be 0.155m and the top slab was 0.160m.
"You are being paid in full for the specified thickness. Yet, you are not using adequate concrete," the MLA told the contractor, directing the GCC executive engineer to issue a letter recording the inspection remarks and asking for corrective work to be carried out. The letter to the contractor mentioned the remarks found during the inspection, along with the time, work order details, and officials present. It had the signatures of the assistant engineer and executive engineer.
MLA's Ongoing Quality Checks
Kumar told TOI he began inspecting his area street by street and is looking at the quality of work. "I've instructed GCC to stop payments till the contractor rectifies the work. The GCC executive engineer has to get the letter acknowledged by the contractor, and I will inspect it again," he said.
A zonal official from Adyar said they have instructed the contractor to remove the topslab and add more concrete. "The contractor has agreed to fix it," he said.
