Ludhiana: 8 road projects halted amid complaints over eligibility criteria

Civic officials maintained that the scrutiny process is necessary to ensure transparency and to avoid any future legal complications or allegations of favouritism in awarding contracts

The municipal corporation’s (MC) ambitious road infrastructure upgrade under the ₹133-crore special assistance programme has witnessed partial progress, though nearly eight projects remain stalled following complaints by contractors and scrutiny of documents submitted during the tendering process.

A damaged road in Sundar Nagar in Ludhiana. As many as 20 road projects are to be carried out in the city under an infrastructure upgrade scheme. (Manish/HT)

Under the special assistance scheme, the MC had proposed 20 tenders for road construction and strengthening works across the city to improve the deteriorating road infrastructure and ease traffic movement. Civic officials confirmed that 12 tenders have already been floated and the financial bids for these projects have been opened.

However, the remaining eight projects have been halted after several contractors raised objections against each other and submitted complaints to the civic body alleging irregularities in tender documents. Officials, wishing not to be named, said that some contractors also served formal notices to the civic body, raising concerns over the tendering process and seeking clarification on certain technical and eligibility-related issues.

Officials stated that four projects have been put on hold after the MC sought legal advice regarding the complaints and objections raised during the tender process. Meanwhile, two other projects have been temporarily halted for verification of contractors’ credentials and scrutiny of the documents submitted by them. The remaining projects are also under review due to disputes and cross-complaints among contractors.

Civic officials maintained that the scrutiny process is necessary to ensure transparency and to avoid any future legal complications or allegations of favouritism in awarding contracts. They emphasised that the MC is following the prescribed norms and procedures to ensure that quality work is carried out and public funds are utilised properly.

Superintending engineer (SE) Sham Lal Gupta said that the tendering process was underway and the civic body was committed to executing the projects at the earliest. “All the tenders are in process and work will be started soon as a few tenders are going to float shortly,” he said.

The ₹133-crore special assistance package was sanctioned to upgrade major city roads and provide relief to residents who have long been facing inconvenience due to damaged and potholed roads.

Civic officials hoped that once the verification of documents is completed and legal clarifications are received, the stalled tenders would be finalised and work orders would be issued soon.