Nagpur: NMC’s standing committee has decided to verify nearly 260 works executed during the three years of administrator rule, with members now likely to carry out random site inspections as concerns grow over abnormally low bids in civic tenders.Standing committee chairperson Shivani Dani Wakhare told reporters members may randomly pick any of the 260 work sites and visit them to verify whether the works were actually executed and whether the quality matches what was recorded in official files. Following her directions, chief engineer Manoj Talewar submitted a report stating that 260 civil works were carried out during the last three years when the civic body was run by an administrator.Dani said the committee’s review would focus particularly on the unusually low bids being quoted in civic tenders. After interacting with NMC’s PWD officials, she said she was informed the corporation’s rate contracts were prepared during Covid pandemic when several costs — including labour hiring — were unusually high. However, these rate contracts were not revised later even after prices stabilised. According to her, this has resulted in inflated estimates for projects, which in turn has led to contractors quoting extremely low bids, in some cases as low as 40% below the estimated cost.She said the committee has asked officials to submit a comparative study of the works executed during the administrator rule to understand whether the low bids were justified and whether the works were executed properly despite the steep reduction in rates. The panel has also sought basic records and reports related to these works before taking any further decision.The issue has gained significance as TOI has been consistently highlighting concerns over unusually low bids in several civic tenders and the possible impact on the quality of works. The decision to review 260 works is being seen as a direct fallout of these reports and the growing pressure on the civic administration to explain how projects were awarded at such steeply discounted rates.Talewar informed the standing panel that the corporation already has an internal mechanism to monitor works executed by private contractors. He said inspections are regularly carried out by deputy engineers and junior engineers at the zonal level as well as at the head office, and quality checks are conducted during execution itself.The review of 260 works is now expected to focus primarily on the tendering pattern and the large gap between estimated project costs and the bids quoted by contractors during the administrator-run period. Opposition members, however, have maintained that the findings will be credible only if the issue of low bidding is examined transparently.
