Bitumen price surge prompts relief package for road contractors

Raipur: Facing a sharp and “unexpected” rise in bitumen prices that threatened to slow road construction across the state, the Chhattisgarh cabinet on Tuesday approved a partial compensation package for contractors executing road projects.The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by CM Vishnu Deo Sai at Mahanadi Bhawan in Nava Raipur. The relief will apply to contracts executed between April 1 and June 30 and will cover only the extraordinary increase in bitumen prices through a limited compensation formula.Officials said the move was aimed at ensuring that ongoing road construction and maintenance works do not stall amid rising petroleum-linked input costs.The state govt noted that global market conditions had triggered an abnormal rise in bitumen rates, impacting asphalt works and increasing the risk of project delays.In another decision, the cabinet approved bringing the Chhattisgarh Staff Selection Board under the General Administration Department by amending the state’s allocation of business rules. The move follows implementation of the Chhattisgarh Staff Selection Board Act, 2026, under which the erstwhile Professional Examination Board was merged into the new recruitment body along with its assets and liabilities.