BMC to spend Rs 600 cr for Mumbai coastal road report review

The civic authorities are in the process of appointing a firm to review the draft detailed project report (DPR) on the coastal road, an exercise which will cost them up to Rs 600 crore.

The civic authorities are in the process of appointing a firm to review the draft detailed project report (DPR) on the coastal road, an exercise which will cost them up to Rs 600 crore.

While this amounts to 5% of the total cost of the project, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) claims this step is necessary to ensure the accuracy of the report. The Rs 12,000 crore project will be based on the DPR.

Civic officials said as part of the review, the feasibility of construction methods suggested in the DPR will be checked. They added that the reviewer will also verify the feasibility of constructing two under-sea tunnels as suggested by the report.

The BMC floated expressions of interests for the peer review (third-party audit) on the DPR earlier this month and around 12 companies have responded. The tenders are expected to be floated within a fortnight.

A senior official, on condition of anonymity, said, “We do not have a detailed report on the under-sea tunnels. By appointing a firm to review the DPR, we hope to carry out an undersea study that will give us an idea about building tunnels in the sea. This process will cost around Rs600 crore, which is 5% of the total project cost.”

Another official, on request of anonymity, said, “Most of the companies that are interested in reviewing the DPR are international companies have studied and designed foreign projects. Tenders will be floated after which standing committee will appoint the lowest bidder. The entire process will take a one month’s time.”

Sanjay Mukherjee, additional municipal commissioner in-charge of this project, said, “Around 12 companies have so far expressed interest in peer reviewing the draft DPR on the coastal road project.”