Chandigarh civic body sets up in-house laboratory to check construction materials

Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) has set up in-house laboratory in its premises to check the material used for the construction of roads in the city. The laboratory has cost the authorities Rs 40 lakh. They have also recruited staff for the same.

Since the civic body spends crores of rupees on the construction of roads on annual basis, quality is a crucial component of this exercise. All the executive engineers of the road division of the MC’s engineering department has already been directed in this regard.

“Though in the recent times, we have been conducting quality checks and hiring different agencies like PEC and others for the purpose who are checking the quality of work after its completion, we want to check the material during the construction period too. Hence, we have taken the step to set-up our own laboratory,” said MC chief engineer N P Sharma.

As per information, the attendant hired for the laboratory will go to the sites where the road construction works are going on in the city and will collect the sample from there to bring them to the laboratory for its quality checking. The executive engineers of the road division have been asked to provide the information much in advance to the laboratory people about the starting of the work.

Sources in the civic body said though the road works by the MC have largely remained good, sometimes complaints do erupt against them. Hence, the laboratory will help ensure quality work.

Source: ETRealty.com