BMP in a tizzy over roadworks

BMP in a tizzy over roadworks
The Hindu

BMP hopes to meet July 31 deadline for repairing 350 km of roads

# BMP Commissioner asks all engineers to issue work orders
# Work likely to start by Monday predominantly in Padmanabhanagar and surrounding areas
# Work on Karnataka Municipal Reforms Project may begin next week

BANGALORE: Stimulated by Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh's warning to complete roadwork by July or "face the music", the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) officials on Wednesday went into a huddle.

As a result, work on re-chip carpeting of 350 km of roads and the pending portion of the "Complete blacktop asphalting" project is all set to begin by Monday.

With this, BMP hopes to meet the July 31 deadline issued by the Chief Minister on Tuesday during a review meeting.

BMP Commissioner K Jothiramalingam, who convened an emergent meeting of officials on Wednesday, asked all executive engineers in the civic body to immediately issue work orders for re-chip carpeting of 350 km of roads being taken up at a cost of over Rs. 30 crores.

Although tendering for this project was completed last month, work had not started because the engineers were following the traditional procedure of first issuing letters of intent, work agreement and then the work order.

"I want you to issue the work orders directly in two days. You can skip the other two steps," the Commissioner reportedly told the engineers.

Sources in BMP told The Hindu on Wednesday that work on the pending portion of the first package of "Complete blacktop asphalting" will start by Monday.

"This is being taken up at a cost of Rs. 30 crores, predominantly in Padmanabhanagar and surrounding areas," the sources said.

Sources said the Commissioner had directed the engineers to start work on the first phase of the Karnataka Municipal Reforms Project (KMRP) by the end of next week.

"This work involves upgradation of 30 km of roads in Koramangala, 80 Feet Road and surrounding roads and is being taken up at a cost of Rs. 38 crores," the official said.

With regard to the "cold response" by contractors to the second package of Complete Blacktop Asphalting, for which tender deadlines had been extended eight times from July onwards, the official said that a decision on awarding the work to reputed firms such as Larsen and Tourbo, Gammon India, Simplex and others will be taken after February 3.

"The Project Management Group, comprising the Commissioner and Additional Commissioner (Finance), has spoken to the contractors and are hoping the differences will be sorted out. If all goes well, the tender process for this work will be completed by the first week of March and work is likely to start by March end," the official added.