After skipping deadlines, project aimed at decongesting traffic still mired in dispute as contractor, BBMP lock horns over de-silting the drain.
For motorists using Mysore Road and West of Chord Road, there is still no respite from traffic congestion.
Their bridge of hope, a 695-metre long, five-lane structure over the stormwater drain near Gali Anjaneya linking the two roads, is mired in a dispute.
The project, taken up in November 2006 at Rs20.83 crore, was nearing completion when the contractor National Projects Construction Corporation (NPCC) and the BBMP locked horns over who should de-silt the drain.
According to a BBMP officer, the NPCC was delaying the project.
“The project was expected to be completed by February 1, 2008. The deadline was then extended to February 28, 2011. There were several meetings over the project … but the NPCC kept on postponing the deadlines,” the officer said.
The February deadline was extended to August and then to December 2011. With January 2012 over, there is still no sign of completion.
“Earlier, they (NPCC) said the delay was owing to the problem in land acquisition by the BBMP and delay in clearing the plan. But now, they are blaming the BBMP for not taking up the de-silting work of the drain. In the tendering clause, there is also scope for the NPCC to take up the de-silting work,” he said.
BBMP executive engineer Prakash said by February-end, the project work would be completed except for the remaining 30 metres of the structure.
NPCC’s Kaliyappa held a different view. He said that if everything went according to the plan, the project would be completed by March.
When his attention was drawn to the delay, he blamed it on the BBMP saying that the Palike was not responding positively to their requests.
“The bridge is almost complete. But due to BBMP’s delay in de-silting the drain, the work is going at a slow pace. Even after several meetings over the issue, there is no action from the BBMP. They have not constructed extra two vents for the water flow,” he said.
“Now the mayor and the deputy mayor have directed us to widen the space between the final three pillars,” he said.
The plan has been sent for approval, Kaliyappa said, adding that there was undue delay in getting the green signal.
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