E-Paper
Contractor misses one-year deadline plus extension to construct FC road footpath
The entire stretch where footpath construction work has been undertaken is 2.5 kilometres in total, starting from Goodluck chowk to Agriculture College.
Pedestrians using Fergusson College (FC) road are awaiting the completion of the smart footpath project which has missed its completion deadline by a year. An extension of six months was given to the contractor, however, the work is still in progress.
The entire stretch where footpath construction work has been undertaken is 2.5 kilometres in total, starting from Goodluck chowk to Agriculture College. The project includes building of a footpath on the left flank up to five metres, including a cycle track and 3 metres on the right flank. The cost of the project is Rs 25 crore that includes parking lots on both sides.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) claims that during the lockdown, the contractor faced a shortage of raw material, including paver blocks, as the order could not be delivered due to transportation issues.
The work on the footpath began two years ago in May 2018 and the project has now moved into its last leg with the installation of paver blocks near Goodluck chowk. However, the pace at which the work is undergoing may push back the completion date even further.
According to the PMC officials, pedestrians will be able to utilise the newly-constructed Smart footpath in eight to 10 days and the entire stretch of the road will be completed by the end of July.
At present, the paver blocks have been installed between Ranade campus and Dnyaneshwar Paduka chowk stretch, while work is in progress at the Goodluck chowk.
PMC executive engineer Dinkar Gojare, said, “The pedestrians will be able to walk on the Smart footpath in eight to ten days and the entire FC road will be fixed as well as enhanced by the end of July. We are waiting for the supply of paver blocks as we have not received the order due to Covid-19 lockdown. The work can be fast-forwarded and can be completion once we receive the paver blocks. However, due to less traffic on the road, the project is now near completion. Due to the lockdown, we were short on the resources and labour.”
The PMC has tendered the project to Dhoot Constructions and despite repeated attempts; the contractor could not be reached.
Many shopkeepers on FC road have complained about the slow pace of work by the contractor that caused an inconvenience before the lockdown and a drop in sales due to restricted access to the commercial shops.
A shopkeeper on FC road said that they had encountered a dip in footfall by almost 30 per cent than usual when work was on. “We have encountered a fall in sales as it was difficult for the customers to reach the shop due to the project and almost for two months we suffered losses. We now hope that the footpath will soon be in service and customers start returning after three months of lockdown,” said Dinesh of Tantra on FC road.
Shakid Shaikh, manager of Metro shoes, said, “Footfall at our shop wasn’t affected, but customers often complained about parking issues. We were worried about the sales after lockdown, but when we reopened the shop after lockdown, we were pleased to see that the work was almost done.”
