Minister for Bengaluru Development and Town Planning (BDTP) K.J. George, on Monday, inspected 15 developmental projects across the city, including the Okalipuram signal-free corridor and grade separators along West of Chord Road, that have been plagued by delays.
The tender process for the Okalipuram signal-free eight-lane corridor began in July 2011. The project was expected to be completed in 18 months at a cost of ₹102 crore. However, work was delayed due to a delay in acquisition of land. Officials now say that two loops and one underpass would be completed by August-end while the remaining work would be finished by December.
Even though tenders were called in 2011, work on the Okalipuram project started in 2015. A BBMP official attributed the delay to problems in land acquisition.
Rajajinagar MLA S. Suresh Kumar alleged that lack of control over agencies had led to the inordinate delay. “We were earlier given an assurance that the two flyovers would be completed by the end of April 2017. Then, we were told June. Today, this was revised to August-end,” said Mr. Kumar.
Work on the grade separators along West of Chord Road was initially expected to be completed in December 2016. On Monday, Mr. George pulled up officials and the contractor for the delay. The contractor replied that phase 1 of the work would be completed by August-end and the rest by March 2018.
Mr. George along with Mayor G. Padmavathi, BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad and other officials also inspected the Vivekananda underpass, which is expected to be completed by May-end; the construction of 500 houses in Lakshmidevinagar slum; four-laning of S.R.S. Road; the Laggere underpass; a link road to West of Chord Road in Rajajinagar; Rajkumar Samadhi underpass; a Road Over Bridge and Road Under Bridge at Mutyalanagar and other ongoing projects.
The tender process for the Okalipuram signal-free eight-lane corridor began in July 2011. The project was expected to be completed in 18 months at a cost of ₹102 crore. However, work was delayed due to a delay in acquisition of land. Officials now say that two loops and one underpass would be completed by August-end while the remaining work would be finished by December.
Even though tenders were called in 2011, work on the Okalipuram project started in 2015. A BBMP official attributed the delay to problems in land acquisition.
Rajajinagar MLA S. Suresh Kumar alleged that lack of control over agencies had led to the inordinate delay. “We were earlier given an assurance that the two flyovers would be completed by the end of April 2017. Then, we were told June. Today, this was revised to August-end,” said Mr. Kumar.
Work on the grade separators along West of Chord Road was initially expected to be completed in December 2016. On Monday, Mr. George pulled up officials and the contractor for the delay. The contractor replied that phase 1 of the work would be completed by August-end and the rest by March 2018.
Mr. George along with Mayor G. Padmavathi, BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad and other officials also inspected the Vivekananda underpass, which is expected to be completed by May-end; the construction of 500 houses in Lakshmidevinagar slum; four-laning of S.R.S. Road; the Laggere underpass; a link road to West of Chord Road in Rajajinagar; Rajkumar Samadhi underpass; a Road Over Bridge and Road Under Bridge at Mutyalanagar and other ongoing projects.