Nitin Gadkari, the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, said that he was recently shocked upon inspecting a highway. He warned contractors that they would be shunted out if they continued to deliver poor quality.
"I inspected the peripheral road and was shocked. It seems like many want to retire or be transferred, their licences cancelled, bank guarantee forfeited and even their firm black-listed. I will not tolerate any substandard work in projects," Gadkari said, issuing a warning.
The Minister's firm statement comes as evidence that there is corruption or inefficiency or both in the highway construction sector. "Gadkari is finally learning that road contractors have taken him for a ride. He threatens to retire staff and blacklist contractors. A Minister is only as good as his bureaucrats. He had a good hand in RC Sinha for the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. No such talent exists now," a social media user commented.
In the past few months, many social media users have shared video clips of potholes on roads after two days of rain. The Modi government has been highlighting infrastructure expansion since 2014 as its biggest achievement. The sector just can't afford incompetence and corruption.
