Now Reading: Chennai Corp to buy 260 tonnes of cold mix for pothole repairs
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Chennai Corp to buy 260 tonnes of cold mix for pothole repairs
The Greater Chennai Corporation will procure 260 tonnes of bituminous cold mix at an estimated cost of Rs 59.41 lakh to repair potholes across all 15 zones ahead of the Northeast monsoon.…
The Greater Chennai Corporation will procure 260 tonnes of bituminous cold mix at an estimated cost of Rs 59.41 lakh to repair potholes across all 15 zones ahead of the Northeast monsoon. The tender was published on September 15.
Deputy Mayor M. Magesh Kumaar questioned the effectiveness of cold mix, citing high wastage and poor application by contractors. He said they often dump the mix into potholes without cleaning or applying a bitumen layer first, causing repairs to fail. He recommended zone-wise annual maintenance contracts instead of piecemeal patch jobs.
Kumaar noted that a pothole on Thanikachalam Road, where his car recently fell in, was temporarily fixed with wet mix. He urged the Corporation to adopt an Annual Maintenance Contract model like the State Highways Department. The GCC Roads Department said it uses cold mix, cement concrete, and hot mix for repairs.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Corporation's reliance on cold mix highlights a recurring tension between quick pre-monsoon fixes and durable road maintenance. Chennai typically receives heavy northeast monsoon rainfall from October to December, and potholes worsen rapidly once rains begin. The Deputy Mayor's call for zone-wise annual contracts mirrors a model the State Highways Department already uses, which ties contractors to year-round upkeep rather than one-off orders. A key test will be whether the GCC moves to annual maintenance contracts before the next financial year. The Corporation's own bitumen mixing unit was dismantled earlier, leaving it dependent on external procurement. The next council meeting could decide the maintenance contract model.
Source: thehindu.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
