BMC to Spend Rs 1,362 Crore on Road Concretisation in South Mumbai

Mumbai, 14th August 2024: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is preparing to invest Rs 20 crore per kilometre for the road concretisation project in the island city.

The civic body has finalized the rates for the work order, which will be awarded to NCC Limited. The total cost for concretising the roads in South Mumbai has been estimated at Rs 1,362 crore, covering 214 roads spanning 65.5 kilometres.

Although the contractor was selected in May, the work order is yet to be officially issued. BMC officials have indicated that the final cost is only 4% higher than the initial estimate of Rs 1,300 crore.

“Negotiations were conducted to secure the most favourable rate after the contract was awarded. Now that the rates have been agreed upon, the work will commence as soon as the monsoon season ends,” stated a senior official.

Former municipal corporator Makarand Narwekar shared that the BMC was initially planning to issue work orders at a 9% increase, but after intervention, the rate was finalized at 4% above the estimate. “This change will save around Rs 70 crore of public funds. I’ve written to the civic administration, requesting CCTV monitoring of the work along with a third-party audit to ensure quality,” Narwekar told.

This road concretisation project for the island city is part of a broader Rs 6,000 crore initiative announced by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in 2022.

While progress has been made in the suburbs, delays have affected the island city’s project. A previous contract was cancelled due to the contractor’s inaction, leading to a new tender being issued.