Ludhiana: The industrial town’s journey towards attaining the status of a smart city continues to face hurdles with hardly any private firms coming forward to take up the key development projects, that were to be taken up under smart city mission. The municipal corporation that had floated tenders for developing Malhar road and for retrofitting and beautification of Sarabha Nagar market under the smart city mission has received response from just one firm.
The civic authorities are now in a fix as now they will have to float tenders again, which is bound to delay the work for these primary projects worth more than Rs 37 crore.
Notably the chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh had laid the foundation stones for these projects much before MC could float tenders.
The Sarabha Nagar market retrofitting project includes design, supply and installation of all landscape works, façade works including undergrounding of electrical services. The main features of the project include increase and improvement of Public Plaza, addition of landscape elements, improvement of user comfort, upgradation of services and utilities, electrical undergrounding, additional services such as fire service, ground water recharge for future utilities and regularization of parking. Cost of this project is Rs 14.88 crores.
Similarly for Malhar Road project smart utilities, road diet, shared pathways, regulated parking and other smart concept are proposed. Improvement of below-grade infrastructure, introduction of utility corridor under footpaths, efficient use of space and avoidance of unnecessary road cuttings for utilities maintenance are among the main features of this project. It also aims at providing adequate streetscape elements, such as street lights, wayfinding and parking signage, garbage bins, amenity zone for vendors, bus shelters, public toilets, etc. The cost of this project is Rs. 22.75 crore.
The officials had floated one tender for both the projects whereas earlier for Sarabha Nagar tenders were floated thrice but the there was a lukewarm response. These projects were included among the primary
smart city projects but there is hardly any improvement.
When contacted the MC commissioner Jaskiran Singh said as the MC has received only one bidder for Malhar road and Sarabha Nagar retrofitting projects, the authorities will now have to float tenders again.
Civic officials’ apathy hits project
While there has been a cold response from the private firms for the projects, the civic officials too have shown a lackadaisical approach in taking these projects forward.
The officials took almost two months in getting a nod from the local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu for allotting the work to a single bidder for the modern slaughter house project. It was only after getting the permission they realised that the validity of tenders was only till March 2018 and had already expired. Now they will have to float the tenders again and wait for 21 days for hiring the company for the project which has been hanging fire for past several years.
Meanwhile, MC commissioner Jaskiran Singh said he has sought explanation from senior veterinary officer YP Singh for the “carelessness”.
Tech body approves 3 more projects
The members of city level technical committee of smart city mission gave their nod to three new smart city projects including integrated command and control center, retrofitting of Ghumar Mandi market and underground parking on Ferozepur Road. The executive engineer Rahul Gagneja said, “We will now send these projects for approval from technical advisor to CM BS Dhaliwal, then to state level technical committee, executive committee and then tenders will be floated.”
How many firms would evince interest in taking up these projects though remains to be seen.