The much-delayed work on building rainwater pumping stations to eliminate flooding during monsoon is becoming more complicated for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Even as the civic body floated tenders for work on the Britannia Outfall (Reay Road) and Gazderbandh (Santacruz) pumping stations early last month,not a single party has expressed interest so far. The civic body now proposes to re-tender the project by relaxing a few norms. The proposed pumping stations will stop floods in low lying areas of perennial flooding such as Hindmata in Dadar,Grant Road,Sleater Road,Mumbai Central,Tardeo,and Byculla by the Britannia pumping station and in Khar (West),Santacruz (West),Link Road,Lokhandwala Complex,Veera Desai Road,JVPD,Andheri sub-way,Nehru Nagar and Kurla (West) by the Gazderbandh station. Chief engineer,storm water drainage,L S Watkar said the two major criteria that have been relaxed are duration of relevant work experience and number of sub-contractors. Earlier an infrastructure firm could bid for the project only if had relevant work experience in the past five years. But now we have increased the period to ten years. Also,the number of sub-contractors who can form a joint venture has been increased from three to four, he said. Big names such as Unity Infra and Pratibha Construction,who have built the currently operational Haji Ali and Irla pumping stations,have not bid. An official from the department said both the big firms did not want to sign an undertaking guaranteeing the work of their subcontractors for minor works. The main firm that works on the pumping station has to provide guarantee for smaller sub-contractors who carry out other civic and maintenance works etc. These large firms do not guarantee despite being in a consortium with them, he said. Only two of the proposed eight pumping stations under the Brihanmumbai Stormwater Drainage (BRMSTOWAD) project have been completed so far. The Love Grove and Cleveland Bunder pumping stations in Worli,that were scheduled to be completed before monsoon this year,have again missed the deadline and will be operational only before next monsoon. Work on Britannia outfall Reay Road pumping station had also been delayed due to lack of environmental clearance from the ministry of environment and forests for a long time as it lies in coastal regulatory zone. Work on the remaining two stations Mogra Nallah in Andheri and Mahul Creek have still not been tendered. Facing a six year delay,the BRIMSTOWAD project tabled originally at a cost of Rs1,200 crore now has gone up to Rs 3,900 crore.
