Asphalting of roads under second package to begin shortly

Asphalting of roads under second package to begin shortly
Vijay Times

Over 1,000 kms of roads in Bangalore will soon receive a fresh coat of black topping as the Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) is all set to begin road works under the second package at a cost of Rs 190 crore.

T alking to BVT , BCC engineer-in-chief Ramegowda said that the second package road works, divided into 118 packages, would be kickstarted by March end.

"After the inordinate delay , the contractors have at last evinced interest in executing work pertaining to the asphalting of roads," he said. It may be recalled that contractors had refused to participate in the tender process for as many as seven times citing various reasons.

With public criticism for not maintaining roads reaching heights and no takers for the second package of works on asphalting and maintenance of roads, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had directed the BCC to invite national tenders in order to execute qualitative road works.

The CM had instructed that the works be given to major construction firms. The government had also thought of awarding the works to the Karnataka Land Army Corporation (KLAC) by exempting it from the T ransparency Act.

THE TENDER BIDS WERE OPENED ON FEB 3 All files pertaining to road works under the second package have been cleared and sent to the Standing Committee on W orks for approval. It has to then be approved in the BCC Council. Following this, it will be sent to the government, said Ramegowda.

"W orks beyond Rs 2 crore will have to be approved by the government. As soon as the works under the first package is over , the second one will be taken up, he added.

Currently , asphalting works under the first package, being executed at a cost of Rs 135 crore, are nearing completion. "The works will be completed at the earliest," he assured.