The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is currently facing delays in receiving a crucial third-party scrutiny report for the tenders related to the Pune district’s ring road project. With three weeks already passed since the scrutiny process began, the absence of the report is raising concerns about the integrity and cost of the tender process.
The Pune Ring Road project, spanning 127 kilometers in length and 110 meters in width, aims to alleviate traffic congestion in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Divided into East and West phases, the project is under the supervision of MSRDC.
Twelve submissions were received from contractors bidding across nine phases of the project. Lowest bidders for six packages were Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited and Navayuga Engineering Company Limited, while PNC Infratech Limited, Roadway Solutions India Infra Limited, and G R Infraprojects were identified as the lowest bidders for the remaining three packages.
Complicating the process further, several companies involved in the election bond scandal submitted tenders at inflated rates, with bids 40-50% higher than MSRDC estimates. This could potentially increase the project’s cost from the initial projection of Rs 16,000 crore to Rs 22,000-23,000 crore.
Despite the scrutiny process starting three weeks ago, the technical institute responsible for scrutinizing the tenders has not yet delivered its report. This delay is adding to concerns about the transparency and efficiency of the tender process.
Accepting these inflated bids could lead to significant cost overruns and disputes, while re-tendering the project might cause delays of three to six months. This issue is expected to be a major topic of discussion in the ongoing monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, sparking considerable debate.
Key concerns include the overestimated costs revealed during the scrutiny, as well as the delay in receiving the third-party scrutiny report, which is critical for assessing the validity and fairness of the bids.
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