Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is now coordinating with new agencies for the initiative of third-party checks for various works that give the best results to continue the activity.

Following complaints and criticism from various sectors about the low quality of civil works in the past, the civic body decided to take up the move to involve different agencies for third party inspections of various works. Nine agencies are working for GHMC for the current financial year, and their agreement is set to end on March 31.

New Agencies to Check Civic Works 

GHMC is now welcoming reputable universities or colleges to carry out third-party checks as a means of continuing to involve experts in the evaluation of the quality of the work being performed. The institutions selected will operate as a third party Quality Control Agency and will provide an independent analysis of the work quality at the various stages of construction.

With the help of prescribed testing standards, the selected agencies will establish a quality control system through a competent team of technical staff. Their tasks include:

• The inspection of the site before the start of the work.
• The work's progress.
• The verification of the quality standards maintained at the site.

The same must be pointed out to the client in the event of any discrepancy or mistake, in addition to suggesting corrective measures. Apart from this, the agency has to conduct tests, inspections, material sampling and work according to the standards specified. The department will be operative in reviewing projects with a budget of over Rs. 5 lakh that are taken up.

Thus, between April and October last year, nine third-party agencies carried out 3,230 inspections of various works conducted in different parts of the city. Following checks, they submitted to the municipal corporation that the quantity of revenue for 2,108 works had to be retrieved, including, in a few cases, adverse outcomes.

The municipal corporation would keep bill payments based on their reports or get the contractors to re-execute the works or repair the substandard works.

By: Shailaja K