AMC Tightens Road Work Monitoring, Plaques Must Be Installed Before Payments

In a fresh attempt to bring transparency to road resurfacing works, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has decided to make the installation of information plaques on roads mandatory before contractors receive their bill payments.

Although a similar announcement was made in 2023, the system was implemented only at a few locations and was never enforced across all resurfacing projects. This time, the civic body has linked compliance directly with the payment process, making plaque installation compulsory before the release of bills.

According to Road and Building Committee Chairman Jainik Vakil, contractors will have to install stone-fitted plaques before the first running bill is cleared, while photographs and videography of the installed plaques will be required before the final bill is released.

Earlier transparency plan saw limited implementation

The AMC had first announced the plaque system in 2023 to ensure that residents could identify the contractor responsible for a road and hold them accountable if defects developed after completion.

The plaques were meant to display details such as the completion date of the road, the defect liability period and the contractor's name. However, the arrangement was reportedly implemented only on selected roads, raising questions over why it was not uniformly enforced across the city.

The decision to reintroduce the system has once again brought the earlier implementation into focus.

No plaque, no bill payment

Under the revised arrangement, contractors undertaking road resurfacing work will have to install plaques at both the starting and ending points of the project before receiving the first running bill payment.

The plaque will include:

• Road work details
• Zone and ward name
• Scheduled completion date
• Guarantee or defect liability period
• Contractor's name
• Contractor's mobile number
• AMC toll-free number

The contractor will also have to upload the plaque details to the AMC website.

Photos and videos mandatory before final bill

Apart from physically installing the plaques, contractors will have to submit photographic and videographic proof of the installation.

Only after this documentation is completed will the AMC process the final bill payment.

If the project completion deadline is revised during the course of construction, the contractor will also be required to install an updated plaque reflecting the revised completion date before the final bill is cleared.

Contractor responsible throughout liability period

The responsibility of the contractor will not end with the completion of the road work.

The plaque must remain intact and visible throughout the entire defect liability period, and contractors will be responsible for ensuring that it remains in proper condition during that period.

By linking the plaque requirement with bill payments, the AMC aims to ensure that information regarding road works, contractor accountability and liability remains publicly available at the project site instead of being limited to official records.