SCTL to retender smart road works with rejigged packages

Thiruvananthapuram: In a major setback, Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL) has not received any response to the tender notification issued for smart road works.
The delay in the completion of works kicked up a row and also led to non-renewal of contract of the project management consultant. SCTL issued a new tender in September for smart road works within the corporation limits. The date was also extended to encourage participation from various firms. However, no tenders were received till October 22, the last date for bid submission. In this scenario, SCTL plans to issue another tender for smart road works.
The officials said that the packages for works will be revised in the new tender. In the September tender, notification was issued for nine roads covering 2.096km. As many as 22 stretches were included under four packages. These roads will be divided into smaller packages so that it will open up opportunities for more contractors to participate in the bid, it is learnt.
Smart city project ends by June 2023 and it is imperative for SCTL and the corporation to get the works completed under the smart roads project. The project was launched in 2020 and ought to have been completed within a year.
The corporation contractors earlier raised protests against SCTL’s decision to call for fresh tenders for smart road works as a package.
According to the corporation, contractors, who entrust a single firm with a set of works, will do no good to the project. They said that the matter had earlier come up for discussion and the engineering wing of the city corporation had pitched the need to award separate tenders for smart road works. The co-ordination committee of corporation contractors had met mayor Arya Rajendran citing issues with awarding works of smart road as a single package
Thamman street, Ayya Vadhiyar road, Kothalam junction to West Fort, Kothalam road, Taluk office road, Charithra Veedhi taluk office road, Deekshithar street, Kallampally street and Punnackal lane were the roads for which tenders were invited in September.
In 2020, a single firm was entrusted with converting 41 roads under the city corporation into smart roads. While the period of completion was set as one year, the project ran into troubles. Corporation ruling council had come in for scathing criticisms for lack of proper management of the project.