24 January,2024 05:49 AM IST | Mumbai | Sameer Surve
Elevated road will end at Veenaben H Trivedi Chowk in Grant Road. File pic
After cancelling a previous tender in August 2023, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has invited a fresh tender for a 5.6-kilometre-long elevated road between Tardeo and Orange Gate. In nearly a year since it was first issued, the road's cost of construction has escalated from Rs 638 crore to Rs 1,170 crore.
The BMC had invited tenders for the new connector between the Eastern Elevated Road and the western part of the city in February 2023. The elevated road is to start at Orange Gate near the Eastern Freeway, then cross J Rathod Road, Hancock Bridge, Ramchandra Bhatt Marg (over J J Flyover), Maulana Shaukat Ali Road and end at Frere Bridge East. Its other arm is to pass Patthe Bapurao Marg and continue to Diana Talkies Marg in Tardeo. The previous tender was cancelled in August 2023 to incorporate suggestions given in a pre-bid meeting with construction companies. The underground utilities also needed to be shifted.
BMC invites tender again
Five months since then and after a cost escalation of Rs 500 crore, the BMC has invited tenders for the elevated road again. The project is to take 36 months to finish. Additional Municipal Commissioner P Velrasu said, "There were some technical changes in the project. Earlier, a normal bridge was considered above Hancock Bridge at Masjid Bunder. Later, we understood that only a cable stay bridge is feasible. The shifting of utilities was not considered in the earlier tender. In this tender, these aspects were studied and included." According to BMC documents, the elevated road will reduce commuting time from the current 45 to 50 minutes to 10 to 12 minutes.
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âThis is a scam'
Meanwhile, former corporator of Samajwadi Party, MLA Rais Sheikh slammed the BMC over the cost escalation. "It seems contractors are framing the BMC tender. This is a big scam. How is it possible that BMC was not aware of the challenges involved in the project before it issued the tender the first time," Sheikh said. Transport expert Kamlakar Shenoy had a similar response. "Why is there always an escalation in projects? Why can't the BMC come up with a fool-proof plan before publishing a tender?" Shenoy said.
