Mumbaikars should not expect flood situation to improve this monsoon

   Mumbaikars should not expect flood situation to improve this monsoon as the rock blasting work is yet not completed at the mouth of Mithi River, courtesy; not the MMRDA, but the contractor along with Vice chairman of Maharashtra legislature council Vasant Davkhare appointed by the development body is creating hurdles.
A Right to Information filed by our NGO Athak Seva Sangh, has revealed that the MMRDA had issued the contract to the consortium of BPL-BCC for carrying out rock blasting work in the Mithi River.
The work order was to carry out the entire work within a span of 15 months for excavating 2,75,000 cubic meters of rock at an estimated cost of Rs 37 crore.
   The contractor was given extension twice once upto June 30, 2009 and second till January 31, 2011 to complete the works, but the same was not carried out and eventually contract was cancelled.
The contractor BPL-BCC approached the high court (court order dated April 4, 2012) to create hurdles of re-tendering of works. Apart from that the MMRDA officials were also pressurized by the contractor through Davkhare to clear the contract amount of Rs 37 crore.
In a letter to the MMRDA, Davkhare claims that 86 per cent of the works has been completed by the contractor, when the fact is less than 20 per cent have been done in a period of two years.
This has result in MMRDA being forced to shell out additional Rs 6 crore, as it had to float fresh bids for the same job at a cost of Rs 43 crore. Still Davkhare ordered the MMRDA to stay the fresh bidding process & appoint arbitrator
    "It is this political interference that is creating problem to the Mumbaikars, even additional Rs 6 crore is being spent, which is tax payers money. Politicians should take a stand towards public and not stand for contractors. I have also highlighted this issue, by approaching the chief minister to conduct an independent inquiry against Davkhare and blacklist the contractor in the state,”