TSC for Rural Connectivity Investment Program, India. ADB funded.

Description of Actual Services provided by the consulting firm (Engineer) under different categories: The scope of consulting services will include but not limited to, the following:

Activity 1: Road Safety
The consultant to conduct systematic road safety auditing of DPRS (at least one from each district and minimum of 10% of total DPRs in each state) including field visits to the proposed roads, make random checks of roads under construction and within 3 months after construction to ensure that road safety measures proposed by road safety audits (RSAs) are properly Incorporated and working effectively. This will include preparation of formal road safety audit and safety check reports for each DPR/road inspected with the list of identified issues and countermeasures to be submitted to the concerned SRRDAs for action; Conduct systematic road safety inspections on randomly selected sample (at least one from each district and minimum of 30 roads per state per year) of roads under maintenance, and document issues and countermeasures for each road inspected for submission to the concerned SRRDAs for the action. Sample for maintenance inspection would be selected from those districts where running batch of RCIP is being implemented; Prepare half –yearly Summery Road Safety Monitoring reports summary in concise matrix from status of conducted road safety audits, inspections and follow up checks, issues found, ensures proposed, implementation status and other important finding; Provide training and support to PIUs and PICs in road safety auditing and implementing engineering road safety countermeasures; Regularly assess the Effectiveness of existing RSA procedures and implemented RSA recommendations on the ground and recommend changes and actions as needed; Coordinate with the state governments to ensure that road safety mechanisms and programs, in particular through membership of the State Road Safety Council and District Road Safety Committees created as per provisions Section 215 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 are followed under the Program and Conduct annual road safety workshop for the state governments reporting on the process and results achieved, issues encountered, lessons learned and work plan for the next year.

Activity 2: Social Safeguards
The consultant to assist the state in reviewing and scrutinizing the records of community participation generated by PICs and verifying the records through field visit to the project affected communities (at least one from each District and minimum 10% of total DPRs in each state) to assess whether CPF requirements have been generally met. Ensure involvement of the affected people and community groups in assessing the same; Prepare methodology and approach for effectively selecting sample subprojects for monitoring and evaluation on the basis of socioeconomic profile of the project affected communities and the extent of expected project impacts in those communities; Review and verify on a sample basis the progress of community consultation for subproject preparation through review of documentary evidence as required by the CPF and visit to the project affected community; Verify on a sample basis the monitoring indicators collected by the PIUs/SREDA on the performance of community participation, through visit to the project-affected community and through participatory consultation with the project-affected people, focusing on verifying the extent of participation by the vulnerable segment of the community population; Based on the review and verification, evaluate the effectiveness of the community consultation process, and recommend improvements to the CPF procedures, particularly with respect to reporting and monitoring requirements: Prepare due diligence report based on items (i)-(v) for all Project tranches; Provide training and support to PIUs in implementing social safeguards; Provide training and support to PICs in performance of their tasks on social safeguards as needed; and Verify the completion of HIV/AIDS awareness program undertaken by the contractors.

Activity 3: Environmental Safeguards
The consultant to assist in reviewing the ECOP checklists prepared by PICs for all road subprojects in each tranche and ensure that they have been prepared in accordance with requirements of the EARF; Based on a sample of at least one road from each District and a minimum 10% of total DPRs in each state, review the ECOP checklists generated by PICs including site verifications and prepare state level IEE reports for preparation of new tranches; Provide advisory services to PIUs on environmental aspects including seeking the regulatory clearances, application of the ECOP checklists and road specific EMPS, implementation and monitoring of the road specific EMPs by the Contractor including by means of training workshops; Conducting periodic site inspection for determining the efficacy and application of the road specific EMPs by the contractor and preparation of monitoring checklists(pre-construction, during construction and post construction) by the PIC and suggest any modifications required thereof; Provide training and support to PICs in performance of their tasks on environmental safeguards as needed; and Based on the monitoring checklists prepared by the PIC prepare monitoring report on an annual basis for all category B projects and semi-annual basis for category A projects Prepare due diligence reports on a randomly selected sample of roads for all Project tranches.

Activity 4: Road Maintenance
The consultant to conduct systematic checking of road maintenance management plans and conduct maintenance inspections on a sample (at least one from each district and minimum of 30 roads per state per year) of post-construction roads under RRS-I, RRS-II, and RCIP annually to ensure that road maintenance measures are properly and systematically implemented Sample for maintenance inspection would be selected from those districts where running batch of RCIP is being implemented; Prepare half-yearly Road Condition and Maintenance Audit Reports for the inspected sample of roads in each state with reference to maintenance activities mentioned in Standard Bidding Document of PMGSY; Provide training and support to PLUs in administration of maintenance contracts, including maintenance inspections; Provide training and support to PIC, PIU or Zila Panchayats as the case may be: Review the effectiveness of existing maintenance procedures and practices and provide advisory support to SRRDAs and NRRDAs including amending of existing bidding documents, manuals, and other maintenance guidelines and procedures; Provide advice to NRRDA regarding the addition, improvement and use of the maintenance module of the Online Maintenance and Monitoring System (OMMS) and Conduct annual road maintenance workshops for the state governments reporting on the progress and results achieved, issues encountered, lessons learned and work plan for the next year.