Same old road contractors to get BMC nod

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's roads department has decided to go ahead with the same contractors who had bid abnormally low, between 38% and 48%, for road work contract (RWC).But a different set of rules seems to apply for the civil work contract (CWC), which too saw low bidding. A "viability test" will be held for CWC.Despite such low bidswhich raise doubts over the work quality, the civic roads department has decided to go ahead with the same contractors. on the pretext that it would be "illegal" to scrap the bids.However, the department has maintained that the civic body would check the workability of the amount quoted by the contractors.

Additional municipal commissioner Aseem Gupta said, "It would be illegal to scrap the bids without checking its workability. We will monitor the contractors' work and subsequently take action, if deemed necessary."The BMC maintains that the viability test to be done for CWC will not be possible for road works contract (RWC). While certain projects will be selected for the CWC viability test, the same may not reflect in the case of RWC, if certain items are chosen randomly. "We cannot select certain items for RWC. It will not reflect the true picture," added Gupta.

TOI on July 3 had reported that the new system, called RWC, was meant to replace the CWC for ward-level roads but the contractors had bid 38-48 % lower than the scheduled rate. For the island city, the BMC received 18 bids with RK Madhani, the lowest bidder, quoting 38% below the scheduled rate, while the western and eastern suburbs have the same company, Prime Civil, bidding 48% lower. The two-year contracts cost Rs 240 crore and each ward will be given Rs 10 crore.After the uproar following low bidding in CWC, the BMC set up a three-member panel to look into the matter and had asked the contractors for a rate analysis.

The civic chief finally took a decision to conduct a viability test, which has been welcomed by corporators cutting across the party lines.But the RWC decision has caught flak of the public representatives. SP group leader and standing committee member Rais Shaikh told TOI, "Once again, this portrays the BMC's inconsistency. How can they have two different rules for civil works?"BOX:HOW THE NEW SYSTEM WORKSRoad work contract involves petty work at the ward level and includes small repairs caused due to trenching, etc. This was earlier part of the civil work contract.

Each engineer will have three to four roads under his care and will be in-charge of every activity on that road-be it filling of potholes, digging trenches, laying down of storm water drain or painting zebra crossing. The BMC has already numbered all the city roadsRWC is part of a larger road system, Road Maintenance Management System (RMMS), that the civic body had planned to launch this Independence Day. "We are ready with the system. The final go-ahead will be given in the coming few days," said Aseem Gupta, AMC.