After Grap curbs, cold and polls to hold up road repair

NEW DELHI: After restrictions on construction work due to the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), cold weather has now become the latest hindrance that is delaying repairs on critical arterial roads across Delhi, according to Public Works Department (PWD) officials.

- Snehil Sinha

With Delhi assembly elections slated early next year—in the run-up to which enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) will again halt such activities—officials said it was unlikely that repair work on some key stretches would be completed by next February.

Officials cited the example of an unsuccessful repair attempt from the past week.

Last Wednesday, PWD attempted to repair three patches on the Outer Ring Road, near Savitri Flyover and Chirag Delhi, but the repaired section did not settle and peeled off due to low temperature. The department was later forced to deploy "groomer machines" to scrape off the layer.

A senior PWD official, asking not to be named, said peak winter was not suitable for patchwork and road re-carpeting, as low temperature leads to fast cooling of hot bituminous mixture that is used for repair.