Delay, 350% cost overrun hit Bangalore’s drain project

Delay, 350% cost overrun hit Bangalore’s drain project
Prathima Nandakumar | TNN

Bangalore: Clearing of raja kaluve encroachments is only the beginning, and the best is yet to come.
Flood-prone Bangalore’s singlemost biggest threat — the 252-kmlong major valleys filled with excess siltation, debris dumps, weak retention walls and faulty culverts and bridges — remains unaddressed and, worse, the Project Clean-up smells of a scam.
The stormwater drain remodelling project launched three years ago is moving at a snail’s pace and the project cost, as a result, has seen a shocking 357% rise from Rs 180 crore to Rs 643 crore. There’s only 30% progress with barely three months left for the new deadline of December 2007. The delay is telling: work should have been completed 18 months from mid-2003 when the works were notified. Amid all this, BBMP has come under a cloud for excess billing, and an inquiry is on.
Experts said project’s suffering from unrealistic estimates, frequent structural concept changes, and price negotiation.
l Hebbal valley desilting cost estimated at Rs 68 per cubic metre. But the price fixed was Rs 210, a hike of 308%. Koramangala valley, too, suffered a similar 195% hike.
l Valley embankment design saw a sea change — from an earthen bund to side-stone masonry to RCC structure. As a result, cost rocketed from Rs 100/cubic metre to Rs 400/ cubic metre.
l Some 10.9 lakh cubic metres of silt estimated from the four valleys; but records show 14 lakh cubic metres desilted. Amount spent: Rs 22.9 crore.
Estimates and the cost didn’t tally in most works, and some suffered due to wrong and undervalued estimates, which led to contractors dragging their feet on the project.
A BBMP engineer said, “Unrealistic estimates and delay-triggered cost overruns have hampered the project. For instance, in a bid to rationalise the price of foundation concrete, the price was fixed as low as Rs 850, though Rs 2,900 had been quoted. The critical works are pending and only the easier bits have been taken up.’’
PROJECT
CLEAN-UP
Widening and regarding of drains to increase carrying capacity
Strengthening of drain wall, rerouting of drain alignments
Diverting of sewer outlets and redesigning of culverts DRAIN CHECK
CHALLENGES, HITCHES
Large-scale encroachments along the drain not cleared due to lack of political will Shifting sewer lines out of the drainbed yet to take off Frequent shifting of core engineering team — 52 technical personnel handling the project shuffled once too often. Project chief has changed four times since Dec 2006 Project cost nearly quadrupled: Rs 180 crore to Rs 643 crore
WORK AND COST
Stormwater drain network coming under the project Primary drains: 94 km Secondary drain: 134 km Total: 228 km Cost: Rs 643 crore
WHAT’S TO BE DONE
Desilt primary, secondary drains; remove bottlenecks Remodel inadequate cross-drainages Shift water, power, other utility lines Rehabilitate existing drain walls; provide drain-bed protection