PUNE: Following the delay in appointment of consultants by the Central Government, the Pune
Municipal Corporation (PMC) will have to shell out more than Rs 100 crore for the ambitious Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded pollution abatement of Mula-Mutha river project.
At present, the PMC has floated the tender of Rs 450 crore for construction of six Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs).
The PMC has not yet opened these tenders. The project was sanctioned in July 2015. As per the sanctioned timeline, the Central Government had to appoint consultants till 2016.
However, the consultants were appointed at the end of last year, so the tender process got delayed.
Speaking to Sakal Times, Madhan Adhari, Superintendent Engineer and Head of Pollution Abatement of
Mula-Mutha River Project said, “We have floated a tender of Rs 450 crore under this project. The tender is in the final stage. The project cost will go up. We can’t quote the exact amount right now, we will come to know only after the tender process is complete.”
Solid Waste Department Chief Engineer VG Kulkarni said, “The cost of the project will escalate. It will be more than Rs 100 crore and the corporation will have to take responsibility of additional cost. We will approach the Central Government and send a proposal to sanction additional funds for that. Till the time this proposal gets sanctioned, we have to spend the additional amount.”
Meanwhile, opposition party leaders alleged that contractors have quoted 20 per cent more than the estimated cost considered by the PMC.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Dilip Barate said, “There is a ring in JICA project work tender. Contractors have quoted escalated amount which is much more than basic price. So, the PMC should float the tender again.”
Congress leader Arvind Shinde said, “The same thing happened during the 24x7 water supply project. Companies quoted 26 per cent more than the estimated cost. The administration recalled the tenders and the tender cost went down and thus the PMC saved money. So, we are demanding that the tenders be floated again.”