Nala widening works remain a herculean challenge for GHMC
Officials have been inviting tenders but due to land acquisition issues very few agencies have turned up
HYDERABAD: Private agencies have been shying away from the nala widening project despite the GHMC floating tenders time and again. Officials said that the contractors had made it clear that they would not take up the project until the corporation acquires the land needed for it. Because of this reluctance of contractors, the GHMC has only managed to complete 37 works at an estimated cost of Rs 127 crore as part of the Comprehensive Nala Development Plan (CNDP).
According to GHMC officials, the nala widening project has become a new challenge due to the town planning wing’s delay in land acquisition. Officials have been inviting tenders but due to land acquisition issues very few agencies have turned up and that too in areas where no land or minimal acquisition was required.
Citing the lukewarm response from private agencies, 126 works to the tune of Rs 697.36 crore have been transferred to CNDP wing of the GHMC, which has now decided to improve efficiency.
A senior GHMC official told Deccan Chronicle that the nala widening works have been going on at a snail's pace. Very few contractors have turned up for projects citing not only land acquisition issues but also lack of budgetary allocations by the government and the civic body. The official said despite land acquisition the civic body's finance wing was yet to release pending bills worth Rs 100 crore for works that have been executed or are ongoing.
"The corporation has only managed to provide minor solutions to major inundation points that are prone to flash floods. However, these areas might still be inundated by the water flow from upstream areas", the official said.
Meanwhile, the official pointed out that the nala widening works pertaining to Old City were progressing at a brisk pace while in other areas several agencies have been creating hurdles.
On the flip side, officials said that zonal commissioners were handed over the job to conduct surveys and studies to implement the CDNP. Zonal commissioners have been conducting the surveys at the ground level to understand the challenges. About three zonal commissioners have already submitted survey reports pertaining to areas which were most affected due to flash floods last October.
Financial evaluation would be subject to submission of reports while the option that exists is to knock the doors of financial agencies for funding. However, official sources in the corporation said that the ongoing survey and its implementation were being gone about in an unrealistic way. Even the redesign of the existing nala has pitfalls, they said.