The Times of India 09.11.2013
MCC panel warns contractor for delaying projects
MYSORE: The contractor of the Rajapatha work will be added to the blacklist if he fails to speed up the work within a week, warned M V Ramaprasad, chairman, Planning and Development Committee, Mysore City Corporation.
The committee has woken up after The Times of India published about "Unfinished projects" of MCC a week ago. It has been five years since the MCC started the groundwork to beautify the surroundings of the Mysore building Raja Marg or Rajapatha. However, the project has hit several bottlenecks and is still not complete. During the Dasara festival in October, the MCC, which is already behind schedule, stopped the works to allow tourists some space.
On Friday, the MCC's empowered city planning and development standing committee inspected the 5.5 km stretch between Hardinge Circle and Millennium Circle via Albert Victor Road, Sayyaji Rao Road and Nelson Mandela Road - the Dasara procession route. The panel also visited other projects like the Town Hall where the MCC is building a parking lot.
Ramaprasad said that the Raja Marg work commenced in 2010, and a year was given for completion. The contractor, Chabbra Associates, has slowed down the work and the project has been delayed for nearly two years. Only 1.45 km road has been completed out of 5.5 km work, he said.
The contractor was served with many notices. Apart from Raja Marga, the contractor had taken up many works like the road around the palace or core heritage zone, basement parking and Town Hall renovation.
The work on the road around the palace too has been delayed. Only 450 metres completed out of the estimated 1.46km road, Ramaprasad said. The project, also known as "core heritage zone", was taken up to beautify the core area by laying the power and telephone cables under the ground. The project was taken up under JnNURM at a cost of Rs 15.9 cr.
A two-storey parking facility for two- and four-wheelers, and an open air theatre at the Town Hall at a cost of Rs 17.66 cr under a JnNURM scheme too has been messed up, he said. As per the plan, it aimed at creating parking facility for 300 cars and 270 two-wheelers for tourists visiting Mysore Palace. It also has plans to construct an open air theatre which accommodates 1,000 people.
