Snapshot
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Around 989 km of Mumbai’s 2000 km of roads have been concreted so far in an effort to decrease the scope for potholes.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) stated on Tuesday (1 November) that it was cancelling the Rs 5,800 crore tender for concretisation of 400 km of Mumbai’s roads, in order to rid the city of potholes.
Eknath Shinde, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, had announced in July that he wanted to rid Mumbai of potholes within the next two years, and the tender was published on 2 August.
A new tender for concretising the roads will be issued again in three weeks, according to P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner (Projects).
New tenders will be called for speedy execution of the works by incorporating state-of-the-art technology and without compromising on quality.
Around 989 km of Mumbai’s 2000 km of roads have been concreted so far in an effort to decrease the scope for potholes.
After the tender was announced on 2 August, the final date for bidding was set to be in September. However, due to a lack of bidder response, the deadline was repeatedly extended.
Civil officials attributed the cancellation primarily to the stringent eligibility criteria specified in the bidders’ tenders and the need to revise the 2018 estimates to current market rates, reports Economic Times.
The clauses stated that while 80 per cent of the payment would be paid to the contractor after the work was completed, the remaining would be paid over the course of the Defect Liability Period (DLP), which was 10 years.
Joint ventures between contractors were one of the main criteria that were restricted. The criteria also stated that bidders should have prior experience working with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on road projects.
The BMC administration also required the installation of QR codes on the project site’s barricades, allowing Mumbai residents to track the progress of the road works.
Seven respondents filed their proposals, according to civic officials: one for the island city, two for the eastern suburbs, and four for the western suburbs. This number was deemed insufficient for awarding contracts.