The Hindu         05.11.2014   

Municipal corporation yet to clear bill for Civic Centre

Over three years after moving into its new headquarters,
the North Delhi Municipal Corporation is yet to clear bills for
constructing the sprawling Civic Centre complex.

Civic
Centre on Minto Road is owned and run by the North Corporation and
houses the offices of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation as well as
the Income Tax Department. Offices of the erstwhile Municipal
Corporation of Delhi started moving to the new building in November 2010
from the historic Town Hall in Chandni Chowk. In 2011, when all offices
had moved to the complex, an additional Rs.24.36 crore as charges for
facility management was added to the project’s cost.

The
initial cost of the project was supposed to be Rs.410.56 crore as
approved by the MCD in 2005. Later, the Standing Committee approved a
revised cost of Rs.643.45 crore. But, expenditure went up to Rs.686.88
crore as certain costs, including for an auditorium, an extended
basement and shifting of an electric sub-station, were added to the plan
later.

Now, the Engineering Department of the North
Corporation is seeking permission to pay contractors the remaining
amount of Rs.43.43 crore.

The proposal is listed
under “urgent business” before the Standing Committee, which will meet
on Wednesday. An additional Rs.67 crore as escalation in costs has also
been mentioned in the proposal. Standing Committee chairman Mohan
Bhardwaj said: “As far as we are concerned, we have cleared all the
dues. We don’t know how the contractors are claiming escalation in the
cost.”

However, Corporation officials said the civic
body did owe contractors for construction, furniture, facility
management and consultants for architecture and project management.