Villagers hand-lift newly built road under PM Rural Road Scheme in Maharashtra
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In a shocking incident that has captured widespread attention on social media, villagers in Maharashtra's Jalna district took matters into their own hands as they exposed the poor quality of a newly-constructed road.
A video clip, rapidly gaining traction online, shows villagers using their bare hands to lift the road surface, which they allege was constructed by a local contractor named Rana Thakur.
The incident occurred in the Karjat-Hast Pokhari area, a part of Ambad taluka, where the road had been built under the prestigious Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana (PM Rural Road Scheme).
According to reports, the contractor had claimed to utilize advanced German technology for the construction, but the video clearly exposes the hollowness of this assertion.
In the 38-second clip, a carpet-like material can be seen placed directly beneath the asphalt, which the villagers hold up to highlight the shoddy workmanship. They can be heard voicing their dissatisfaction with the contractor's subpar efforts, labelling the construction as "bogus." The locals are also seen criticizing the Maharashtra government for its lack of oversight and are demanding action against the engineer who approved the flawed work.
India boasts the second largest road network in the world, stretching over a staggering 63.32 lakh kilometres, according to data from the Make in India website. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways relies on various agencies to implement road construction projects, including the National Highways Authority of India, state and Union Territory Public Works Departments, the National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, the Border Roads Organization, and the Indian Academy of Highway Engineers (IAHE).
Conventional road construction methods typically involve the use of a mixture of gravel, sand, and compacted soil to ensure durability. However, in recent years, engineers have increasingly turned to concrete as a means to enhance road longevity.
