Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The maintenance of nearly 400 kilometres of city roads faces uncertainty as the Iran-Israel conflict has disrupted bitumen supplies and driven up material costs, throwing Bhopal Municipal Corporation's post-monsoon and annual repair work into a tailspin.
The cost of an asphalt tanker has surged from around Rs 11 lakh to Rs 23-24 lakh, prompting contractors to stay away from tenders for road repairs, said BMC contractors.
The BMC has estimated that annual road maintenance across its 21 zones will require more than Rs 5 crore, against Rs 4.5 crore currently available. The combination of a funding shortfall and rising material prices has complicated efforts to repair the city's damaged roads.
The disruption in the bitumen supply chain, linked to the situation around the Strait of Hormuz, has added to the financial pressure on the civic body, raising concerns over the pace of road repairs.
Contractors reluctant to take up repair work
Municipal commissioner Sanskriti Jain recently directed deputy city engineers to prepare files for Annual Rate Contract (ARC) under which damaged roads are maintained throughout the year. The estimates prepared at the zonal level ranged from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh per zone.
However, when the tender process began, contractors were reluctant to participate, citing sharp increase in material costs. With prevailing bitumen prices significantly exceeding the rates approved for the work, contractors are unwilling to undertake projects under the existing financial terms.
Repairs, not new road construction
The ARC programme covers routine maintenance of roads owned by the corporation rather than the construction of new roads. The work primarily includes filling potholes, repairing damaged road surfaces and improving road shoulders.
However, with tanker prices more than doubling and available funds falling short of estimated requirements, the corporation faces a challenge in carrying out the planned maintenance within its existing budget.
Nearly 400 km of roads need asphalting
BMC superintending engineer RR Jaroliya told Free Press that the corporation has proposed asphalting work covering nearly 400 km of roads across the city's 21 zones after the monsoon. He added that tenders for new road patchwork have also been initiated.
