Mumbai: Lack of bids delaying all big projects

The junction at Grant Road where the elevated road to Yellow Gate will start. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Two mega projects of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Dahisar-Mira Road elevated connector and Grant Road to Yellow Gate elevated road, are not getting bids though tenders have been invited.

The BMC has extended the submission date of the tender for the Dahisar-Mira Road bridge five times since June 2022 while the submission date of the tender for the other bridge has been extended for the second time since February.

The BMC first invited a tender in June 2022 for the 5.5 kilometre-long elevated connector from Dahisar West to Mira Road West. The estimated cost of the project was Rs 1,600 crore. But only one company responded. In September after the consultant's suggestion, the civic body decided to construct a cable-stayed bridge above the creek, as part of this elevated road.

This caused a rise in cost to Rs 2,500 crore. Then BMC invited a tender in October 2022, the last date of submission for which was November 2022. After a review in December 2022, BMC decided to extend the tender till January 2023. Then the civic body extended the date of submission to February 2023.

This was further extended to March 10, then to March 27. Even then when bidders did not respond, now the submission date is June 7.

The Rs 638 crore Grant Road East to Eastern Freeway elevated road (to Yellow Gate) is also not getting attention from bidders.

Since February 2023, the BMC postponed the date of bid submission to May and now it is June 27.

According to BMC officials, this 5.6-km elevated road will reduce the journey from 45-50 minutes to 10-12 minutes.

Transport expert Kamlakar Shenoy said, "The delay in getting a response from the bidder will result in a delay in the project. It will also cause a rise in the cost of the project. BMC needs to decide its priority. There are other bridges whose work is delayed. The BMC should focus on them, before announcing any new bridges. They are just announcing new projects and ignoring pending important bridge constructions."

A BMC official claimed the projects in question are challenging. "We are getting queries from bidders for them. We are answering them," he said.

Rs 638cr
Cost of Grant Rd to Yellow Gate elevated road