Mumbai: Road Concretisation Works Delayed In City Due To Lok Sabha Elections; Project To Kickstart Post-Monsoon | FPJ
Mumbai : The BMC opened the bid for concretisation of 312 km of roads last week. However, with the model code of conduct in force, the civic authorities would have to put their plans on hold. Also, the upcoming monsoon will further delay the concretisation work. So, the project is likely to kick off post monsoon, said civic sources.
The city has a road network of 2,050km, out of which around 1,000km has been concretised. The BMC decided to concretise all the roads to make the city pothole-free. Accordingly, the BMC undertook concretisation of 397 km of roads last year. A tender worth Rs. 6,080 crore, the biggest ever civic contract, was awarded to five firms. However, only 15-20% of concretisation work has been completed till now, while the contract of about Rs1,600 crore awarded to Roadway Solutions India Infrastructure Ltd (RSIIL) for 97km of roads in south Mumbai was cancelled over delay.
Opposition Alleges Cartelisation In Tender Allotment
Meanwhile, the BMC has carried out their plans to undertake concretisation of another 312 km of roads. Around 15 bidders responded for the tender worth Rs. 6,198 crores. While the opposition alleged cartelisation in the new tender with the same set of contractors bidding for all the works in seven zones, the BMC has not yet taken a final decision on allotting the contract to the lowest bidders.
“We have completed the tendering process and the bids were also opened last week for the phase 2 work of road concretisation. But the work order will be issued after the Loksabha election. We will also take review of the road work undertaken last year. The road officials are instructed to ensure that 50% of work gets completed by May 31,” said a senior civic official. The BMC will allow any kind of road-digging or excavation work for concretization till the end of April. Since road work is not carried out during four months of the monsoon, the new work can only start in October, said civic sources.
