Nagpur: Despite setting a deadline of 11 months, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has failed to complete even one of the 22 packages under the Rs324 crore cement concrete road project phase-II, even 26 months after work began. As usual, the civic body has not taken any action against the contractors, consultants and engineers, despite inordinate delay, which is causing severe inconvenience to citizens.
NMC’s projects department (PWD) has tabled a proposal before the standing committee seeking revision in package-X. As per the proposal, stretch between Rahate Colony Square and Congress Nagar Square will be concretized instead of the stretch between Narendra Nagar Railway Under Bridge and Vivekananda Square to Deo Nagar. “NMC had laid water pipeline of 1,000mm on the latter stretch, so the need is to asphalt it instead of concretization,” the proposal said.
After approval, NMC will engage VNIT to prepare design for concretization of 610-meter stretch between Rahate Colony Square and Congress Nagar Square. This is a fine example of NMC’s improper planning, negligence and one of the main reasons behind the project’s inordinate delay.
NMC had laid 1,000mm pipeline under Pench Project part-IV, which is known to all engineers. Also, NMC had engaged consultants for various studies and designs, spending huge money under cement concrete road project phase-II. The work order of package-X was issued to private contractor on August 22, 2016. Now, engineers of projects department have realized there is a pipeline and sought revision.
CM Devendra Fadnavis had announced the project in December 2015 and performed bhoomipuja in March 2016. The then mayor Pravin Datke had assured to complete the project within 11 months.
NMC failed to issue work order for all packages at a time. Work order of one package, no-XV, is awaited even today. Work orders for 21 packages were issued to private contractors between March 2016 and November 2017, with deadline of 11 months for all.
Work orders of package-IV, XI and XX were issued first in March 2016. All the three packages are still incomplete. Package-IV comprises of two stretches of West High Court (WHC) Road from Shankar Nagar Square to Laxmi Bhuvan Square and Law College Square to Japanese Garden Square. However, 50% works are incomplete in this 2.32km stretch in 26 months.
Fadnavis had assured to sanction cement roads worth Rs300 crore every year beginning from 2014-15. Thus, NMC was to get five projects of Rs1,500 crore. NMC delayed the process due to which Phase-III was approved in 2016-17. Due to inordinate delay in completion of phase-II and execution of phase-III, the CM did not approve phase-IV in 2017-18. Chances of project being complete in 2018-19 seems bleak.
NMC official told TOI project got delayed due to lack of funds, inordinate delay in getting NOC from traffic police, and technical hurdles. “Penalties have been levied on contractors while giving extensions. We are set to complete some packages soon,” he said.
