E-Paper
Over 30 firms apply for undertaking construction works
OVER 30 prominent architects and construction firms of the country have shown an interest in undertaking construction works, maintenance of heritage buildings and preparing a master plan for Allahabad University (AU).
OVER 30 prominent architects and construction firms of the country have shown an interest in undertaking construction works, maintenance of heritage buildings and preparing a master plan for Allahabad University (AU).
The proposals submitted by these firms, following a recent all-India advertisement issued in this regard by the varsity, will now be scrutinised by AU"s Works Committee experts at an all-important meeting scheduled to be held at the Vice-Chancellor's office on Monday.
The committee having experts from Allahabad University, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) as well as IIT-Roorkee will short-list the interested companies and architects on the basis of their expertise and experience in undertaking different works.
At AU, the nature of works to be undertaken varies from construction of new buildings: including construction of hostel annexes, administrative block, a building for Institute of Professional Studies, faculty accommodations, security cabins and construction of a sports facility to building a two-storey parking stand besides renovating heritage buildings without compromising with their original and distinct style as well as raising, repairing and constructing boundary walls on the various campuses of the university.
The AU also wants to lay a sewer system network in its various campuses.
A vital challenge as well as project is also the preparation of the master plan with five months to govern the entire construction and rebuilding efforts of the varsity and for which Rs 70 lakh has been allocated by the varsity. The total projects to be bagged at the varsity, insiders claim, are worth Rs 30 crore which is the main reason that the AU invitation has led to top architect firms from all over the country applying in hope of bagging a major chunk of the construction work.
Following the short-listing, the hand-picked representatives of the companies and individual architects will be invited for a face-to-face interview with the members of the AU Works' Committee at the varsity itself.
An appropriate date on which the Works' Committee experts will once again be able to sit together in the varsity will be fixed as the day for the interview.
AU has been allocated Rs 40.05 crore by the UGC for 2006-07 and out of which around Rs 13.3 crore, almost one-third of the total, has already been released with the rider that it should be utilised at all cost by July 15, 2006.
With this in mind the varsity officials want to kick-start the construction and maintenance works of its buildings at the earliest but are also in no mind to let the quality suffer due to the rush.
