PANAJI
Metal crash barriers are erected to prevent vehicles running off roads along hill roads, curves, rocky areas but frequent collisions leave them damaged for long periods, but not any longer.
The State government through the Public Works Department has come up with a policy by which such damaged crash barriers are instantly replaced or repaired.
The policy envisages a protocol for every civil division of the PWD to award three-year contracts to three to five entities via online bidding process to replace or repair damaged crash barriers for their entire jurisdiction. The contract will include a penalty clause for non-performance.
Where the contractor fails to replace/repair crash barriers within the stipulated period, a penalty for every day of delay will be imposed.
The policy also mandates the PWD to put kilometer-wise real time data of crash barriers including their condition (damaged or not) installed in its jurisdiction along NHs/SHs/MDRs, in the public domain through its website.
It also mandates every AE or JE in charge of a section to carry-out regular inspections of the crash barriers for preventive maintenance, besides special and need-based inspections, specially pre and post monsoon.
In cases where AEs and JEs are in-charge but repair or rectification of the damaged crash barrier is not done in time in their jurisdiction, they will be liable to face disciplinary action.
The policy also has several measures specifying standard quality of the railings and crash-barriers to be used besides other road-engineering principles to be adhered to in installing and repairing them.
