BMC is spending ` 9.5 lakh per metre to reconstruct Kurla road : Hindustan Times

STREETS OF GOLD?

Normal cost of concretising one-km stretch is Rs 24 crore, or Rs 2.4 lakh per metre

MUMBAI: While not a exactly landmark address, Kurla’s Ramdev Peer Marg could achieve some measure of fame thanks the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is spending an eye-watering Rs142 crore to concretise the 1.5-km stretch.

This means that according to the civic body, each metre of the 60-foot-wide road between Vidyavihar and Kurla railway stations will cost Rs9.5 lakh to rebuild. The civic body recently cleared a proposal to increase the cost of the project to Rs142 crore from the original Rs128 crore – a 13% hike. Even at the original price, the cost of concertising the stretch was a whopping Rs8.5 lakh per metre. According to a BMC source, the normal cost of concretising a one-kilometre stretch is about Rs24 crore, or Rs2.4 lakh per metre.

The project was awarded to RPS Infraprojects Pvt Ltd in 2010, which was expected to complete it in 2012. However, the project remains incomplete as RPS Infra only began work on it last year. In November 2014, the BMC’s variation committee sanctioned an additional Rs14 crore for it, claiming it was required because of “additional work”, rising costs of raw materials, transportation of debris, and the laying of a sewer and a drainage line.

While no BMC official was willing to speak on the record, some sought to justify the exorbitant cost by saying that the road’s concretisation requires shifting a large number of underground utilities, such as water pipes and sewerage lines, and rehabilitating people in 383 structures earmarked for removal. But when pressed for details, the officials said they would need to go back and check the proposal again.

A civic official, who did not wish to be named, said, “The road has 383 structures that need to be removed, out of which we have already removed 186. The BMC has made provisions in the project cost to shift utilities and provide alternative homes to those affected by the project. With increases in the project’s cost, the consultant’s fee has also gone up.”

A K Achrekar, deputy chief engineer, easter n suburbs, refused to comment, while Ashok Pawar, chief engineer with the road department, said, “I am not aware of the project. I will check and let you know in some time.”

142cr FOR 1.5-KM STRETCH

The BMC claims the cost of repairing Kurla’s 1.5-km Ramdev Peer Marg is Rs142 crore, or Rs9.5 lakh per metre The original cost of the project, given to RPS Infra, was Rs128 crore. This was hiked by 13% in November 2014 The deadline for the project was 2012, but even today, RPS Infra has completed only half the work Ramdev Peer Marg connects Vidyavihar and Kurla railway stations.