16 November,2020 07:09 AM IST | Mumbai | A correspondent
Mangroves will also be chopped for the project. Representation pic
Work on six bridges - including the long pending Madh-to-Versova bridge - to be constructed by BMC in the western suburbs pegged at around R2,000 crore, has been further delayed. With no contractors coming forward to construct the bridges, owing to the need of a slew of environmental clearances, the BMC will now appoint consultants to take permissions from the government.
All the bridges are meant to cover water bodies - creeks, nullahs or the sea - at certain locations, requiring high level of mangroves destruction. Thus, environmental clearances will be mandatory and are likely to take time, said civic officials. Also affected are work on Marve to Manori bridge, Infinity Mall Road to Lagoon Road in Malad. It's been over a decade since the Madh to Versova bridge has been okayed, but it's yet to be taken up owing to resistance from the local fishing community.
Last year, an expression of interest was floated for the contractors to come forward for constructing the bridges where about 12 contractors that came for a pre-bid meeting of sorts, did not want to get the clearances themselves and asked the BMC to get them first and only then would they be interested in construction.
Hence, the project was further delayed, said officials. According to sources, they are finding it difficult even to rope in consultants to get environmental clearances.
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However, the BMC is all set to float tenders for the consultants who will be tasked with the responsibility of drafting relevant reports and acquiring all the permissions related to the project.
A senior civic official from the bridge department said, "In the tenders to be floated, we have asked the consultants to take all the requisite permissions at the earliest, they will be involved in getting permissions from even the High Court regarding the cutting or transplanting of mangroves."
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