Bogibeel: Mahanta says Railway Boards neglect led to Rs 108-cr loss
By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Oct 17: The much-acclaimed Bogibeel Rail-cum-Road Project in
Dibrugarh district will not be completed within the stipulated time-frame
(rescheduled), December 2011, mainly due to the negligence towards the region
by the Railway Board and the Ministry of Railways. Now the project cannot be
completed before 2012, said former Asom Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta
today.
Talking to newsmen, Mahanta blamed it on the Railway Board for not passing some
specific files on construction deals of the project on, what he said, a few
motivated and suspicious grounds that would hardly affect the construction of
the project. The only file on piling work that the Railway Board had passed on
April 30, 2007 to Hindustan Construction Company Limited (HCCL) was also
reportedly not accepted by the company on the ground of escalation of prices of
construction materials manifold, Mahanta said, and added that had the Railway
Board passed the file by April 23, 2007 the HCCL would have been legally bound
to execute the project work. Now the Railways will have to call retender on
piling work at Bogibeel if the HCCL doesnt start the work, and that will lead
to waste of around Rs 108 crore for unnecessary extending the period of
sanction, Mahanta said.
Going back to the history of the project, Mahanta said that the first tender on
piling work of Bogibeel bridge across the Brahmaputra was invited in August
2004, and three bidders HCCL, L & T and AFCONS were technically qualified.
NF Railway estimated the cost of piling work at Rs 306 crore. HCCL put its cost
at Rs 292 crore and the bid was favourably forwarded to the Railway Board,
which, however, sought a six-month extension period against the four-month
holiday period. Finally, a retender notice was sought, and this time the
Railways estimated the piling cost at Rs 360 crore. HCCL again became the
lowest bidder at Rs 366 crore, but the bid is being delayed pushing the
situation for calling a retender again, Mahanta said. The former Chief
Minister, quoting market experts, said that the next bidding would not be less
than Rs 400 crore leading to the wastage of Rs 108 crore. Who will bear the
wastage of this public money? Who has given the right to the Railway Board and
the Ministry of Railways to play an irrational game with the people of the
North-east? Mahanta questioned.
It may be mentioned here that the estimated cost of the rail-cum-road project
that was sanctioned in 1997-98 was Rs 1,767 crore, and the expenditure till
today is Rs 647 crore. It is, however, a well known fact that the cost of the
project has escalated manifold.
(The Sentinel,18.10.2007)
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