“If a road is properly designed, engineered and constructed, normal monsoon rainfall cannot automatically become an excuse for substantial settlement within eight months. Goa receives heavy rain every year. Monsoon conditions are not an unexpected natural phenomenon that suddenly arrived after the tender was awarded. The argument that corrective work is being carried out under the defect liability period is also not enough. That provision exists precisely because contractors are expected to rectify defects for which they are responsible. It does not mean the public should celebrate the fact that a defective project can be repaired at the contractor’s cost.”…
