BMC8217;s proposal falls into the trenches

MUMBAI, AUG 19: While the two-year-old proposal itself kept falling into numerous trenches along the bureaucratic highway, civic workers ...

MUMBAI, AUG 19: While the two-year-old proposal itself kept falling into numerous trenches along the bureaucratic highway, civic workers have been busy shovelling gravel and asphalt into the pockmarks left by public utilities systematically hacking away at the city8217;s roads.

In a unique case of reverse-efficiency, BMC-style, though work on filling in trenches dug by various public utility services had commenced following informal8217; approval in January 1998, various departments of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation have been playing pinball with the proposal first submitted by the civic Roads Department in December 1997.

Ironically, the Standing Committee, which was supposed to take up the proposal on Wednesday, is still dodging clearance, saying the item was not placed on its agenda in the required format!

The proposal8217;s descent into the trenches began on December 27, 1997, when the Standing Committee rejected it on the ground that the lowest bidder8217;s quote was too low to guarantee quality work. TheMunicipal Contractor8217;s Association then moved the Bombay High Court, which ordered the BMC to award the contract to the same, lowest bidder.

However, before the Standing Committee could take up the matter for the second time, the state government introduced the jinxed Mayor-in-Council MiC system in April 1998. The Roads Department therefore decided to seek the MiC8217;s clearance for the same. The MiC, however, kept the item on its Roads Committee agenda pending for an entire year, citing no particular reason.

At the last meeting of the Roads Committee 8212; before the controversial MiC was dissolved in April, 1999, 8212; it was decided that the proposal be tabled before the Standing Committee, since the latter had by then already given its informal8217; approval on January 28, 1998.

The item was accordingly re-processed and placed before the Standing Committee on Wednesday. This time, corporators cribbed that the proposal had not been circulated three days in advance. Since it was not an emergency proposal, theyargued, there was no urgency in taking up the matter!

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According to Ravindra Pawar Cong, most members had received the item only a few hours before the meeting and hence there was no time to read it. With that, the proposal remains in limbo.

As per civic rules, trenches dug by public utility services like the MTNL, Mahanagar Gas, BEST, BPT and the MSRDC are filled by the BMC, which collects a deposit from the undertakings at the rate of Rs 300 per sq ft. Chief engineer in charge of roads, G K Apte, told Express Newsline

that except for trenches in Andheri east and west, the rest in other parts of the city have already been filled in.

The present proposal, he explained, covers two financial years, from 1998-99 and 1999-2000, at the rate of Rs 50 lakh for each of the city8217;s 24 wards. At times, such proposals cover a single financial year.

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He said two years ago, the BMC had permitted public utility services to fill in the trenches themselves. However, as the work was slipshod and tardy, thecorporation to take on the responsibility.