Mumbai: COVID-19 pandemic reduces cost of projects for BMC

BMC workers pull down the damaged reservoir wall in July 2019. Pics/Satej Shinde

Construction cost was expected to increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is getting bids at a lower cost. The Standing Committee approved a contractor to reconstruct the wall at Malad reservoir at nearly 30 per cent less than the estimated cost on Friday. The administration said the contractor is ready as his machinery and manpower are lying idle due to the pandemic.

On July 1, 2019, a part of the compound wall near the Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) at Malad collapsed after heavy rainfall. The rest of the wall that was damaged was then demolished. The hydraulic engineering department sent a proposal to the Standing Committee to approve a contractor to build the wall again. As per the estimation of the BMC, the cost of the reconstruction of the 210 metre wide and 6 metre tall wall was R1.48 crore, but the lowest bidder is ready to build it at Rs 1.04 crore which is less than 29.85 per cent of the estimated cost.

A portion of the wall had collapsed, killing over 20 dead at Ambedkar Nagar

Prabhakar Shinde, group leader of BJP, raised a question regarding the quality of work at such a low cost and demanded the design of the wall be examined from a third party for assurance.

Additional Commissioner Suresh Kakani told the committee, "The contractor wanted to keep his machinery and manpower which had been lying idle due to the pandemic moving, and so he is ready to work at a lower cost." Kakani added that the BMC will take additional security deposits to ensure the quality of work.

BMC panel asked to hold inquiry on low-cost bidding

Three proposals were tabled in the Standing Committee for approval of contractors for repairing water lines. All the contractors have quoted prices below 35 per cent. Last month, the Committee had rejected proposals for hiring dumpers as all the contractors had quoted a price below 40 per cent. "The administration negotiates with contractors if the bidding is higher than the estimated cost. It must probe when bids are below 30/40 percent," said panel chief Yashwant Jadhav.