Bengaluru: The multi-crore project that imagines the increase in the 12 corridors to the corridor of high density and its maintenance has been placed in the back burner for the second time by Minister of BakeVaraj Bommai, following the input that it could be a scam direction of the popularity of his government.
At a recent review meeting, Bommai pulled over officials to collude with urban-contractor planner cartels and inflating project costs other than including the recent road asphal and whitetopped, sources in knowledge.
This project, which will be executed under the banner of Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited, was first debated to increase the 191km main road in the city at a cost of Rs 1,116 Crore.
However, the first tender was canceled after it was found that the five-year maintenance cost of the corridor was much higher than the amount intended for initial repairs.
In addition, Bommai showed that in 191km, 90 km was recently developed and 50km Whitetopped.
Thus, KRDCL calls for a short-term tender following the CM direction and the proposed increase of 146km with a cost of Rs 594 Crore.
But when the project was reviewed by BOMMAI recently, it was found that the direction issued previously did not match the new tender.
From Crore Rs 594, RS 289 Crore will be spent on the initial increase of 71km roads and the remaining Rs 305 Crore on the maintenance of a five-year road that covers a length of 146 km.
With CM revealing displeasure of new tenders, the Ministry of Public Works fired a letter to the KRDCL stating that “tenders that call for 12 high density corridors will be postponed immediately”.
CM questions, according to some senior IAS officers, come from the fact that the government must pay the cost of maintenance of road contractors from the first year of upgrade settlement.
“Why pay so much money towards maintenance when the improved road should last longer? Isn’t the responsibility of the contractor to maintain it for the first few years?” An officer wondered.
However, the source in KRDCL maintains CM has been misinformed about the project.
“He has not explained the difference between the responsibility of the disability and maintenance period, affects the tender.
According to the DLP, the contractor is responsible for construction defects for 1-2 years, while maintenance includes filling holes, mud removal, improving medians and other problems.
R Prasad, Chief Engineer, KRDCL, said they had explained the situation to Rakesh Singh, the head of the additional school, the Department of Urban Development.
“ACS has assured us that he will talk to CM about this and find a solution,” he said.