Not to be confused with the re-tendering of road works worth Rs 1,200 crore that took place a few days back. In this batch too, some tenders have been reissued after the BMC canceled it in September over quality concerns, as road contractors quoted 30% below estimates. There are some fresh tenders, such as MHADA Layout roads.
The floating and refloating of tenders itself smacks of a casual approach on the part of the civic authorities, indicating that there are flaws in the BMC’s procedures for launching. Not only should these be rectified immediately, but the monitoring mechanism should be strengthened so that there is complete transparency and the city gets the quality roads that it has long deserved.
The corporators have questioned whether canceling the tender and re-issuing will actually improve the quality of the road or simply a waste of time. This time, officials said stricter conditions have been put in place, such as contractors participating in tenders must have previous road work experience and not just any civil work experience. There will also be a deferred payment, only 80% of the payment will be released upon completion of the work. The remaining 20% payment will be released in installments during the defect liability period.
Interested parties have time till November 3 to fill the tender. Councilors fear that the work is likely to be delayed initially, as the tenders have been floated so late. Usually, after October, the BMC starts the road repair work on the ground, which continues till the onset of monsoon the following year.
Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Rais Shaikh said that stringent norms alone will not suffice, as tenders have been floated in such huge quantities, the same old contractors will come back.
“Both workmanship and supervision will need to be supervised by higher authorities. If this is not done, then the condition of the road will remain the same and excuses like digging trenches or underground leakage will be given for its deteriorating condition.
BJP’s Vinod Mishra said that time is being wasted in inviting tenders, canceling and re-inviting them. “The nexus between the contractor and the engineers has been one of the reasons for the poor quality of Mumbai roads. Engineers propose to dig the road only after a few years of construction for some reason or the other, after which the contractors remove any liability for the road collapse,” said Mishra.
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