Taking note of the delay in completing work on Mysore Road and the problems it poses to commuters, the mayor has given three months to the contractor in-charge to finish the work or face the music.
Taking note of the delay in completing work on Mysore Road and the problems it poses to commuters, the mayor has given three months to the contractor in-charge to finish the work or face the music.
If the contractor does not finish the work by April 30, the work will be transferred to Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL). Also, the contractor would be banned from taking up projects for two years.
As there was little progress regarding the work, mayor DV Venkatesh Murthy himself called for a meeting with the contractor. The mayor directed the BBMP engineers to assess the work for two months.
The engineers found that the contractor had employed only 10 to 15 labourers, even though the requirement is of at least 50. On some days, it was found that there were no workers at all.
Murthy and chairperson of the BBMP's major works committee, Sridhar Reddy, were in favour of immediately transfer the remaining work to the KRIDL. However, upon the contractor's request, the plan was scrapped and the deadline extended.
BBMP superintendent engineer KT Nagaraj said the work has been speeded up and should be over in three months. Sixty per cent of the work has been completed by now.
The project
Owing to heavy movement of vehicles, the BBMP had decided to widen the 3.7-km stretch on Mysore Road from Sirsi Circle to Nayandahalli Junction. The work started in the year 2009. Lakshmi Construction bagged the contract for road widening. The project was to cost `5.57 crore. Later, the Palike awarded it the additional work of building a utility duct, at a cost of `3.51 crore. After giving the charge of additional work, the deadline to finish road widening was extended to November 1, 2012.
The contractor failed to finish the work in the stipulated time. Initially, the Palike and the contractor blamed the Bescom and the BWSSB for not shifting electricity lines and water pipes, thus delaying the work.
However, a study revealed that the contractor did not employ enough labourers to finish the work in time. Also, shoddy treatment of the project resulted in many cases being filed against the contractor by people.
Residents of Byatarayanapura registered a police complaint as the excavated mud was being dumped on their sites. The BBMP slapped a fine of `1.23 lakh on the contractor for delaying projects. Also, it came to light that people had registered cases against the contractor with the Technical Vigilance Committee under Commissioner and the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force for delay in finishing the work and causing hardship to people.
The BBMP had even served notices to the contractor, but it did not evoke any response.
The final notice was served on September 12, 2009, and the contractor failed to reply even to it.
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