Kerala Road Maintenance Wing-PWD

The High Court of Kerala has suggested that delay in the administration procedures is the main reason that broken roads are not maintained on time.This is what needs to be changed first.An executive engineer do not even have the authority to do the maintenance work of a road under his jurisdiction.Under the present system, the most senior officer is required to take a decision for each and every work, which includes petty maintenance works.This British-era styled administration procedures must be revamped because this is not suitable for modern times.The decisions for changing these outdated administrational procedures must be taken at the ministerial level Or, the legislative assembly can discuss and bring in the required changes in the laws for such a change.

Kerala Road Maintenance Wing-PWD

Road Maintenance wing is formed for maintaining various types of roads under 

the control of Kerala PWD through the adoption of new technologies and methods. 

This wing is formed based on the Road and Bridge Maintenance Policy of the 

Government.This wing is headed by a Chief Engineer(Road Maintenance) with 

supporting staff. This wing is having its headquarters at Thiruvananthapuram

 with seven division offices fourteen subdivisions. 

The Public works  department will constitute a committee of high-level officials for
road maintenance under running contract scheme so that there is a permanent 
mechanism.The new permanent mechanism is pushed as a solution to resolve 
issues in a time-bound manner. This mechanism in future will facilitate the officials 
to have field visit and take stock of the situation.The special team includes IAS officers,
chief engineers, superintending engineers and executive engineers.

Road Maintenance Works

Road Cross Section

                                          Projects Wing (Kerala State Transport Project)

Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) is one of the important and successful endeavors of Government of Kerala (GoK) and Public Works Department (PWD) implemented with the assistance of the World Bank (WB).

The reference to conceiving of this project goes back to 1996; by then GoK-PWD evaluated the lower efficiency of major road network due to rapid growth in traffic levels coupled with existing inadequate and deteriorating road infrastructure. To this respect the ‘Strategic Options Study’ (SOS), was carried out in 1997 covering nearly 9000Km of roads for prioritization.

This important study based on strategic parameters recommended a priority list of road corridors for further techno economic feasibility study and then Detailed Engineering. 

In the year 1999, 2810 Km of roads recommended through SOS study were selected for Techno-Economic feasibility. Road Maintenance Component prioritization and Institutional Development Strategy Studies were initiated in 2000

PWD Projects wing is formed to execute externally aided projects and specialized projects. This wing is headed by a Project Director and a Chief Engineer (Projects). Currently this wing is executing the World Bank aided Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP). The organisational setup of the Projects wing is as shown below.

Completed KSTP Roads in kerala

    

QUALITY CONTROL MANUAL-SYSTEM IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION KERALA PWD WORKS-BIS , IRC ,MoRTH , CPWD , BSI , ASTM , ISO

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION IN INDIA 

 In India, the road agencies in various States carry out the road works following the standards and codes adapted by organizations such as Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Indian Roads Congress (IRC), Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) etc. It is a common practice to follow International Specifications like BS, ASTM, AASHTO etc where Indian Standards are not available. The Government of Kerala as per GO (P) No. 36/2013/PWD dated 17-04-2013 have implemented MoRTH Specifications in the Kerala Public Works Department.

1. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) 

BIS is the national Standards body of India. BIS is a founder member of International Organisation for Standardization (ISO). It represents India in the International Organisation for Standards (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the World Standards Service Network (WSSN). One of the major functions of the Bureau is the formulation, recognition and promotion of the Indian Standards. More than 19000 codes have been published by BIS (Formerly Indian Standards Institution). The National Building Code was first published by BIS in 1970 at the instance of the Planning Commission of India.
                                       


2. Indian Roads Congress (IRC)

Indian Roads Congress (IRC) was set up by the Government of India in 1934 with the objective of promoting and encouraging the science for building and maintenance of roads. In the past several years IRC has published several standards, specifications and codes of practice, related to road and bridge works. IRC also publishes plans and specifications for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The most important among those is the Specifications for Road and Bridge Works (5th revision 2013).

                                                    

3 Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Specifications

 Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is an apex body under the Government of India. It is responsible for the planning, development and maintenance of National Highways in India. The standard specifications for road and bridge works in the country are evolved by MoRTH.

                                               

4. Central Public Works Department (CPWD) 

The Central Public Works Department of India, commonly referred to as CPWD, is a Government of India owned authority in charge of public sector works. The CPWD, which came into existence in 1854, builds and maintains public buildings. CPWD also Part B - Roads Section 2000 228 Kerala Public Works Department - Quality Control Manual has developed many codes, manuals, schedules, technical specifications, design manuals and other necessary technical publications for effective working.

                                                  

5 British Standards (BS) 

British Standards are produced by the British Standards Institute (BSI) group established in 1901 under the National Standards Body (NSB) for the UK. More than 27000 standards of the BSI are now under circulation.

                                                  


6 American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) 

ASTM was formed in 1898 by Chemists and Engineers from the Pennsylvania Railroad, USA. In 2001, the Society became known as ASTM International. Currently about 12,000 ASTM standards are used around the world. 2002.8 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) AASHTO, founded in 1914, is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols and guidelines used in highway design and construction. The association represents not only highways but air, rail, water, and public transportation as well.

                                        

 INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION FOR STANDARDS 

        The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, nongovernmental organization, the members of which are the standards organisation of the 163 member countries. ISO's main products are international standards. ISO also publishes technical reports, specifications, and guides. Some ISO standards are mentioned below for reference:

        a) ISO 14001: This is the internationally recognized standard for Environmental Management Systems (EMS). ISO 14001 specifies a process for controlling and improving a company's environmental performance.

        b) ISO 9001: This specifies requirements for a quality management system where an organization need to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide product that meets customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.