Lok Sabha Question No. 1112 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-08
Subject: Quality Control Mechanism under PMGSY-III
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Ramdas Chandrabhanji Tadas

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1112

ANSWERED ON 08/02/2022

## QUALITY CONTROL MECHANISM UNDER PMGSY-III

## 1112.   SHRI RAMDAS C. TADAS:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the Quality Control Mechanism for ensuring construction of quality road works and durability of road assets under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Phase-III;
- (b) whether there has been a decrease in the speed of road construction in the State of Maharashtra under PMGSY Phase-III, if so, the reasons therefor along with the action taken by the Government in this regard; and
- (c) whether the quality of the roads constructed under Phase-III has been checked, if so, the details of action taken in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI FAGGAN SINGH KULASTE)

- (a) As per the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Guidelines, ensuring the quality of the road works is responsibility of the respective State Governments which are implementing the Programme. There is a very well structured three-tiered Quality Control mechanism  for  ensuring  construction  of  quality  road  works  and  durability  of  road  assets under  PMGSY.  Under  the  first  tier,  the  Programme  Implementation  Units  (PIUs)  are required to ensure process control through mandatory tests on material and workmanship at field laboratory. The second tier is a structured independent quality monitoring at the State level through State Quality Monitors (SQMs) to ensure that every work is inspected at initial stage,  middle  stage  and  final  stage  of  the  construction.  Under  the  third  tier,  independent National Quality Monitors (NQMs) are deployed for random inspection of road works to monitor quality and also to provide guidance of senior professionals to the field functionaries.

Whenever, a work is reported deficient by NQMs, on account of both structural and nonstructural defects, the PIU ensures that the contractor replaces the material or rectifies the defects, as the case may be. The action taken report (ATR), for each such work, is verified on ground by the State Quality Monitors (SQMs). Thereafter, the State Quality Coordinator (SQC) examines the ATR for each such work and furnishes the compliance report regularly through  programme  Management  Information  System  (MIS)  -  Online  Management, Monitoring  and  Accounting  System  (OMMAS).  To  fast  track  the  compliance  on  NQM observations, provisions have been made to upload and monitor the action taken report for each work through web based programme MIS- OMMAS.

(b) & (c) The state of Maharashtra has been allocated 6,550 km road length under PMGSYIII. The State has been sanctioned 380 roads of 2581.72 km length on 31.03.2021, 34 roads of 227.65 km length on 24.05.2021 and 16 roads of 116.55 km length on 04.10.2021.

As per guidelines issued by the Ministry on 22nd December 2020, all sanctioned PMGSY works should be tendered, awarded and physically commence on ground in 72 days from the  date  of  sanction.  There  is  abnormal  delay  in  awarding  of  works  by  the  State Government which led to decrease in speed of the progress of PMSY-III works. The State of Maharashtra was given annual target of construction of 1400 km of road length during financial year 2021-22. The state has completed only 257.68 km as on 04.02.2022 which is only 18% of the annual target length. During the current year, the State of Maharashtra was supposed to construct 782 km length of road under PMGSY-III, however due to delay in tendering of the works by the state, no progress has been made under PMGSY-III till date. Due to delay in tendering process, 132 road works are yet to be awarded by the State. State was advised on a number of occasions during review meetings to expedite the tendering process to award these balance works.

As the sanctioned works have recently started & inspections of works under PMGSY-III has not yet taken place. Guidelines provide 100 % inspections of works by State Quality Monitors (SQMs), apart from the quality control mechanisms of first and third tiers.

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