Rohru-Hatkoti road project may go to two firms in re-bidding
Earlier this week, the state government received the World Bank’s formal approval for termination of contract with the ‘defaulted’ Chinese firm — M/s Longijian Road and Bridge Company - which failed to execute the project. The company was eventually told to let got the project ahead of the state Assembly elections following strong criticism on the poor quality of upgradation of the road .
The apple belt, which produces more than 50 per cent of the state’s total apples every year, had suffered heavily due to the delay in the work on Theog-Hatkoti-Rohru road. The project awarded to the company in 2007 through international bidding proved a complete wash-out with apple growers in Jubbal-Kotkhai,Rohru and Chopal targeting the state government for the inordinate delay and lack of any progress on the road work
“Against the total project cost of Rs 228 crore, the company could not show progress beyond spending Rs 62 crore. Even the cost escalation during the period, under normal circumstances could not have been more than 30 per cent,” Chief Engineer PWD Naresh Sharma said.
Sharma, alongwith his team, is heading for New Delhi next week to hold discussions with the World Bank officials on the revised estimates
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