Projects in pipeline, money down the drain

A case in point is the appointment of Binnie and Partners (B&P) to suggest an economical and technologically sound method to repair the concrete lining of the Bandra marine outfall, which falls under the Bombay-II project. The lining was laid under the supervision of another foreign consortiumcomprising the Engineering Sciences, the Associated Industrial Consultants and the Public Health Engineer. The B&P submitted three reports between September 1996 and July 1997. All the reports were unanimous that the consortium had not followed the specification laid down by the BMC. The B&P also suggested three options to repair the tunnel. The costs ranged between Rs 69 crore and Rs 91 crore.

But the three suggestions probably had the authorities confused. So, another six-member technical advisory committee was appointed “to study the consultant’s report.” Of the six members, only one was a tunnel expert. The BMC will spend Rs 10 lakh on the committee.

Till date, the BMC has not arrived at a decision whether to file a case against the consortium which had supervised the construction. In fact, sources said, legally the BMC is on shaky ground. There is no provision in the agreements between the BMC and the consultants by which the former could haul them to the court. But, senior BMC officials say thatappointment of foreign consultants was inevitable. “These projects are highly specialised in nature and are being carried out in India for the first time…we do not have the required expertise,” said an officer. Also, he added, a majority of these projects are funded by the World Bank (WB) which makes it mandatory for the BMC to hire foreign consultants. Earlier, in another project, also part of the Mumbai-II project, the BMC had lost Rs 12.08 crore because of unsatisfactory work done by a foreign consultant – Engineering Sciences. The work concerned construction of another marine outfall, this time at Colaba. This also led to a delay in implementation of the project. The work on the project started in 1979 and should have been completed by 1984. Finally, BMC appointed a retired brigadier to study the reasons for the delay. The report submitted in 1990 put the blame on the contractor and the consultant. But the BMC once again could not initiate any action. After this incident, the BMC created a new postof additional municipal commissioner in-charge of projects. But Sharwaree Gokhale, who is currently holding this post, does not think that the consultants were such a drain on the BMC’s resources. “The city cannot afford to be left behind just because it does not have the technology. ” And what about the losses? “We are seeking legal opinion,” a senior officer said. Does that mean another committee.