The maintenance of main roads in the Capital may be outsourced to private companies as the Delhi Government’s Public Works Department (PWD) is likely to come up with a proposal soon.
All roads that are 60 feet or more in width are maintained by the PWD currently, after they were transferred from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in 2012. A senior PWD official said there was a plan to ask for expressions of interest from private players to take over the maintenance of roads.
“We are looking at making the process more cost-effective by inviting private companies to bid for maintenance of roads. The proposal is in the works right now,” said the official.
A spokesperson for PWD confirmed that there was a “plan to outsource maintenance of roads”, but the expressions of interest floated previously had not worked out.
“There were issues of how to compensate the private company. So we are looking at different models like allowing them advertising rights,” said another PWD official.
The government is looking at floating a global tender under the PPP model so as to make the process more competitive, said the official. The private company or companies will have to ensure that the roads are pothole-free and the signage is maintained properly.
The government is looking at floating a global tender under the PPP model