Key road repair works in Delhi hit by bitumen price hike

Several major road repair projects in the national capital are being delayed due to a sharp rise in bitumen prices triggered by the West Asia conflict, officials said on Tuesday. Repair and strengthening work undertaken by the PWD on 200-250 kilometres of road has been affected over the last two months due to the steep increase in bitumen prices, a senior government official said.

Several major road repair projects in the national capital are being delayed due to a sharp rise in bitumen prices triggered by the West Asia conflict, officials said on Tuesday. With contractors expressing inability to continue road repair work at the previously awarded rates, the Public Works Department (PWD) is now planning to move a proposal before the Expenditure Finance Committee, seeking approval for cost overruns for the ongoing projects. PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has already issued a notification approving cost escalation for road projects affected by the bitumen crisis, and the PWD is also considering a similar order. ''Repair and strengthening work undertaken by the PWD on 200-250 kilometres of road has been affected over the last two months due to the steep increase in bitumen prices,'' a senior government official said. The projects were originally targeted for completion by March 31, but the deadline has now been extended to July 31, he said.