Mumbai: Concretisation Of SOBO Road - Contract Awarded To NCC Ltd At 4% Above BMC's Cost

After several negotiations, the contract for road concretisation in South Mumbai was awarded to M/s. Nagarjuna Construction Company Ltd (NCC Ltd) at a rate 4% above the BMC's estimated cost. Former BJP corporator from Colaba Makarand Narwekar has written to Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, requesting the implementation of CCTV surveillance, a live dashboard to monitor work status, and a third-party audit to ensure the quality of the concrete roads in the island city.

The process of inviting new tenders for concretisation of roads in South Mumbai began six months after the previous contract was terminated. Of the two firms that submitted bids, NCC Ltd, already engaged in road concretization in the western suburbs, and APCO InfraProjects, with significant experience in constructing state and national highways, were considered. However, NCC Ltd was awarded the contract as the lowest bidder. Meanwhile, Narwekar had objected to the company's bid, which was 9% above the BMC's estimated rate, amounting to an excess of Rs. 150 crore. After negotiation with the contractor, the contract was allotted at approximately Rs. 1,362 crores.

In his letter to BMC chief, Narwekar said that, "It is learned that the civic body has failed in persuading the M/s NCC Ltd to accept the tender with an at par estimate on the lines of other CC road contracts awarded across the city. So, the entire work will be carried out under CCTV surveillance. The BMC must ensure that the live status of the work is made available on a dashboard, where real-time updates can be received and seen. Additionally, a third-party audit should be carried out on a monthly basis once the work begins to ensure quality."

He further emphasised that the BMC must uphold the quality of the CC roads and ensure timely progress of the roadworks. "I also demand that if the contractor fails to meet the completion deadline, immediate action should be taken to blacklist the contractor," he added. In January 2023, the BMC awarded the contract to Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd (RSIIL) to carry out works on 212 roads in the island city that would cover eight municipal wards. However, the Rs. 1,600 crore contract was terminated on November 8, 2023, owing to inadequate progress in work, and RSIIL was subsequently fined Rs. 64.6 crore. No cement concrete road work has been undertaken in South Mumbai in the last one and half years, as per sources.