The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court expressed dissatisfaction over what it said appeared to be an effort by officials to protect those responsible for substandard road works, even after changes in administration.
The observations came while hearing a petition filed by Thavaneethi, a Quality Control Assistant Engineer in the Tamil Nadu Highways Department’s Ramanathapuram division. He challenged a charge memo issued by the department secretary, which held him responsible for poor-quality roads laid in certain locations in Sivaganga district.
Counsel for the petitioner argued that a 2010 government order lays down a three-tier responsibility framework for roadwork defects—field-level staff at the first level, quality control officials at the second, and supervisory officers at the third—and contended that the charge against the petitioner was arbitrary.
In its order, the court noted that the 2010 government order was not available on the Highways Department website. The judge also pointed to the poor durability of many roads, the court’s earlier scrutiny of allegations that contracts are awarded through “syndicates,” and the absence of an effective monitoring and control mechanism despite thousands of crores being spent.
The court sought details on what procedures are followed to ensure roads meet contractual quality standards, and how many disciplinary actions have been initiated in the past five years against officials across the three levels under the 2010 order. It directed the Highways Department Secretary to file a report by Sept. 28, including reasons for not uploading the 2010 order on the government website.
