No bidders for Mithi desilting; BMC extends tender deadline

Contractors have been reluctant to bid for Mithi river desilting work since last year, when the Mumbai police arrested several contractors and civic officials in connection with alleged irregularities in desilting contracts

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has again extended the deadline for tenders for desilting the Mithi river to March 24 after receiving no bids. The original deadline of March 11 was earlier revised to March 17, but failed to attract any response.

View of the polluted Mithi River in the Powai area of Mumbai. (Raju Shinde/HT Archives)

Newly elected corporators across party lines criticised civic officials and sought clarity on alternate back-up plans if contractors continue to not respond to the tenders. They also expressed concerns regarding potential risks to life and property if the 18-km river is not desilted before the monsoon.

Contractors have been reluctant to bid for Mithi river desilting work since last year, when the Mumbai police arrested several contractors and civic officials in connection with alleged irregularities in desilting contracts.

While there has been no response to the Mithi river tender, additional municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar said the BMC has received bids for desilting minor nullahs in 21 of the city’s 24 wards. He expressed confidence, saying that since most of the contractors who had responded were old hands who knew the task, they would be able to execute most of the desilting work well.

“We can start from multiple locations with more machinery and maybe be able to complete the desilting before the May 31 deadline,” he said, before adding that pre-monsoon showers continued to be a challenge for the city.