Road work incomplete? Make the PWD answer with one RTI

Manish noticed that the 2.4 km link road in his Pune locality had been “under construction” for 14 months — board said “Completion by August 2024”, but only one layer of WBM was visible. Potholes everywhere.

He filed an RTI to the Pune PWD Sub-Division. Twenty-five days later the reply: a 12-page disclosure with contractor name, sanctioned ₹2.8 crore, only ₹2.1 crore released, work measured at 67% complete, contractor in default, ₹85K penalty levied but not deducted, no third-party quality test conducted. Manish forwarded to the local Pune Mirror reporter — a story ran the next week. The Sub-Divisional Engineer was transferred; the road completed in 6 weeks.

Roads are administered by:

• State PWD (state highways + major district roads)
• NHAI (national highways) — 1956 Act
• PMGSY (rural roads) — Ministry of Rural Development
• Municipal Corporation / ULB (urban municipal roads)
• Panchayat (village roads)

Each has its own PIO + works register.

1. 30-day clock under §7(1).
2. §20(1) personal liability.
3. Comprehensive contractor + quality disclosure — surfaces ghost works, quality fraud, undeclared subcontracting.

• §6(1) RTI Act.
• §7(1) — 30 days.
• §4(1)(b)(xii) — works register suo motu disclosable.
• State PWD Works Manuals — set quality-test, third-party audit, and completion-certificate procedures.
• NHAI Act 1988 + CPWD Works Manual — for Central works.

To,
The Public Information Officer (PIO),
Office of the [Executive Engineer / Sub-Divisional Engineer],
[State PWD / NHAI / PMGSY / Municipal Engineering Cell],
[Locality / District]

Subject: §6(1) RTI Act 2005 — status of road construction at
         [exact location with landmark]

Sir/Madam,

Please provide:

   1. Project name + sanction reference + sanctioning authority.
   2. Sanctioned amount, released amount, balance.
   3. Contractor name + address + GST/PAN.
   4. Sub-contractor names (if any) and the procedure followed for
      sub-contracting under PWD Works Manual.
   5. Date of work-order, scheduled completion date, actual progress
      as on date of disposal of this RTI (with measurement-book
      extract).
   6. Quality-test reports (third-party / lab / departmental) for
      WBM / BT / concrete layers — copies.
   7. Penalty levied for delay, amount deducted (with proof of
      deduction).
   8. Completion certificate (if issued), date and issuing officer.
   9. Inspection reports by Junior Engineer / Sub-Divisional
      Engineer for the last 12 months.
   10. Any complaints received about this work and action taken.

I am a citizen of India residing at [address near the road].

Fee: ₹10 IPO/DD enclosed.

Yours faithfully,
[Name + address + signature + date]

1. Identify which agency owns the road: state highway → PWD; rural road → PMGSY; urban → Municipal; national highway → NHAI.
2. Find the Sub-Divisional Engineer / Executive Engineer postal address.
3. File via state RTI portal (PWD/Municipal/PMGSY) OR rtionline.gov.in (NHAI) OR Speed Post.
4. ₹10 fee.
5. Diary 30-day deadline.
6. First Appeal → Executive Engineer / Chief Engineer; Second Appeal → SIC (state) / CIC (NHAI).

Ask for tender award date + work-order date + reason for non-commencement.

Ask for measurement book + balance work + revised completion schedule.

Ask for third-party quality-test reports + PWD inspection reports + warranty/defect-liability period status.

Ask for utilisation certificate + photo evidence + field-inspection report.

Ask for the contractor's eligibility verification + cross-reference with CVC blacklist.

• CIC, Road Works v. PWD UP (2017) — PWD directed to disclose contractor + quality reports; “commercial confidence” §8(1)(d) overruled by §8(2) public interest.
• Anjali Bhardwaj v. UoI (2018) — Works register suo motu under §4(1)(b)(xii).
• Subhash Chandra Agarwal v. PMO (CIC 2014) — High-value spending must be transparent.
• State Information Commission (Maharashtra, 2022) — PWD Sub-Divisional Engineer fined ₹15,000 for non-disclosure of road project file.

• Vague road description — give exact location + landmark.
• Filing with municipal corp when it's a state PWD road (or vice versa) — wrong public authority.
• Skipping quality-test report ask.
• Asking for personal financial info of contractor (denied under §8(1)(j)).

• Visit the work site — note the board with sanction details (project no., contractor, amount, completion date). Quote in RTI.
• Take photos with date-time stamps as supporting evidence (attach to RTI).
• Cite state PWD Works Manual + §4(1)(b)(xii) explicitly.
• Ask for field inspection reports + measurement book — surfaces ghost works.
• Forward RTI reply to local journalists / RTI activists for amplification.

Often yes — PIO discovery of file forces internal action (engineer transfer, contractor penalty, work resumption). Even if reply is partial, it gives you the named contractor + sanction amount to pursue further (CVC / vigilance / court).

No — §8(1)(j) personal info. But the contractor's GSTIN / PAN / company name + address are public.

RTI doesn't apply to private — but you can RTI the municipal building permission + completion certificate to expose a private build.

For NHAI tolled stretches, file at NHAI via rtionline.gov.in. See Toll RTI guide.

File parallel RTIs to each. Each agency's PIO covers their slice.

Half-finished, substandard, or ghost roads waste public money + endanger lives. RTI is the cheapest forensic audit tool: contractor name + sanction amount + quality reports — the trio that breaks open most road scams. ₹10.

File the RTI.

• State RTC bus issues? Make the corporation answer — discovered via internal-link audit 2026-04-24
• Street lights broken? Make the Municipal Cell answer — discovered via internal-link audit 2026-04-24

• MP/MLA fund RTI
• §4(1)(b) suo motu
• First Appeal

1. RTI Act 2005 — §6(1), §7(1), §8(1)(d), §8(1)(j), §8(2), §19, §20.
2. State PWD Works Manuals + CPWD Works Manual.
3. National Highways Authority of India Act 1988.
4. PMGSY Operational Manual.
5. Anjali Bhardwaj v. UoI (2018); Subhash Chandra Agarwal v. PMO (CIC 2014).
6. CIC Road Works v. PWD UP (2017).

Last reviewed: 24 April 2026.