Government seeks foreign solution to 'desi' road mess

Chalking out a long-term strategy to curb the menace of potholes, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday announced that the government was contemplating engaging foreign technology and roping in experts to build roads in the state.

Chavan said that changing the material, specification and the mechanism for laying roads was being considered.

He also admitted that inefficiency among state officials was a serious concern and the immediate action needs to be taken against such officials.

"Road construction is a technical matter and the expertise of the officials was very crucial. I have directed all municipal corporations to set up a dedicated workforce in the roads departments, instead of transferring officials from one department to another," said Chavan in response to a query raised during the question hour in the legislative assembly.

Ram Kadam of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena demanded an inquiry by the CID against the corruption in road construction.

But, Chavan said that the government’s focus was on improving technology rather than just targeting civic officers.

“More than 60% of the municipal corporations’ budget is spent on constructing roads and maintaining them. The tenders are responded with 40% less than the base price and this is a matter of concern,” he added.