Patiala, July 6 -- The district administration on Sunday ordered a probe after a contractor was found carrying out road carpeting work in the city's Urban Estate area amid heavy rainfall, triggering concerns over wastage of public money. According to road construction experts, hot bitumen is designed to adhere to a clean and dry surface. Laying asphalt during rainfall can prevent proper bonding between the new bituminous layer and the existing road surface, increasing the likelihood of premature deterioration, potholes and reduced durability. Deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal said the Patiala Urban Planning and Development Authority (PDA) had been directed to initiate action against the contractor and ascertain why the work continued despite the rainfall. "PDA has been asked to take action against the contractor and look into why this happened," the DC said. Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh, who is also the local MLA, termed the incident "wrong" and said he had sought a detailed report from the PDA. "We have a contract under which the contractor is responsible for maintaining the road for five years. If anything goes wrong with the road, the contractor will be held accountable," the minister said. He, however, said there could be situations where work began in clear weather and rain arrived unexpectedly. "Sometimes the material is already prepared and labourers continue with the work even after it starts raining, but that is not correct," he added. PDA chief administrator Aparna said the road work had commenced when the weather was clear but had to be stopped after rain started suddenly. "I have been informed that the weather was fair when the work began this morning. However, as it started raining suddenly, the work was stopped," she said. Residents questioned the quality of the work and demanded action if construction norms were violated. Punjab BJP Mahila Morcha president Jai Inder Kaur also criticised the incident, alleging that it reflected poor execution of public works. Demanding accountability, she alleged that taxpayers' money was being wasted and urged the government to ensure strict adherence to quality norms in all infrastructure projects....