Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s standing committee on Tuesday ordered a detailed inquiry into cement concrete (CC) road works awarded at 30% to 40% below the estimated cost, directing the public works department to submit a comprehensive report covering the last three financial years.Standing committee chairperson Shivani Dani Wakhare issued directions after heated discussions erupted over two CC road proposals where contractors had quoted nearly 40% less than the estimated amount. Congress corporators Wasim Khan and Abhijeet Jha strongly objected to the proposals, questioning how quality construction could be ensured at such drastically reduced rates.Dani Wakhare directed the PWD to submit a detailed report for 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years, specifically asking how many work orders were awarded to contractors who quoted 30% to 40% below the estimated cost. She also sought information on whether such projects faced delays due to contractors struggling to execute work at lower rates and whether contractors later submitted additional bills for extra works to recover losses.In a significant move, Dani Wakhare also ordered a third-party audit of all works awarded at such steeply reduced rates. She directed officials to identify cases where substandard work was carried out and initiate strict action, including blacklisting contractors and fixing responsibility on officials if irregularities are found.The issue gained further traction after corporator Aslam Khan alleged that a contractor executing a cement concrete road in Ekta Nagar under Ashi Nagar zone had stalled the work after completing nearly 75% of the project, claiming that funds had run out. According to Khan, the 800m road work was awarded at a cost of Rs50 lakh, but the dept has now initiated an additional proposal of nearly Rs25 lakh to complete the remaining portion, including installation of interlocking blocks on the footpath. The chairperson ordered a probe into this case as well.Opposition corporators also demanded that all tenders approved during the administrator’s tenure at 35% to 40% below the estimated cost be reviewed and placed before the standing committee. They argued that such aggressive underbidding could result in poor-quality infrastructure and financial losses to the civic body.The discussion also saw demands for stricter norms similar to those adopted by other civic bodies, including restrictions on accepting extremely low bids and limiting the number of works that can be awarded to a single contractor. The issue assumes significance as several newly constructed roads in the city have already come under criticism for developing cracks and surface damage within a short period. TOI has been consistently highlighting concerns over road quality and repeated repair works across the city.With the standing committee now seeking a detailed three-year report and ordering a third-party audit, the civic body’s road works — particularly those awarded at unusually low rates — are likely to face closer scrutiny in the coming weeks.
