In a setback to the concretization efforts of Mumbai's roads, Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant revealed that several contracts were canceled due to contractors failing to meet specified requirements. The hurdles in the road development projects have raised concerns about the timely completion and quality of the infrastructure improvements in the city.
Replying to questions by members of legislative council (MLCs) Sunil Shinde and Vilas Potnis in the Upper House of the state legislature here, he said that in the first of the concretisation project, tenders for 910 roads, having a total length of 397 km, were floated.
Nevertheless, the execution encountered challenges when several contracts, including one valued at Rs 1,233, were terminated due to contractors falling short of meeting the stipulated timeframe and legal obligations, according to Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant.
Out of the overall road projects, construction has begun on 279 roads, Samant noted. Additionally, he mentioned that five contractors, whose agreements were revoked by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), are now subject to a combined penalty of Rs 96.5 crore.
In August, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said that Mumbai roads would be free of potholes in the next two to two-and-half years and all roads would be concretised.
When MLC Shinde sought to know why the contractors were yet to be blacklisted, Samant said past attempts for such action had resulted in legal challenges. We will take a thorough review (of the reasons) before taking any decision about blacklisting (any contractor), he said.