The Karnataka Urban Development and Coastal Environment Management Project (KUDCEMP) works, on the one hand were being delayed due to the problems in getting green signal from the  Railways and National Highway Authority of India, and on the other, the objections from private people in land acquisition.
Now, when all such bottlenecks seems to have solved, the contractors are not ready to continue with the 4-year-old tender. Sources in the KUIDFC office told Deccan Herald that the L&T and Kirloskar companies, the main contractors of the project, are firm on the point that a fresh tender should be assigned to them as the rates of all construction materials have gone up in the last four years.
“Negotiations are going on at the higher level, and the KUIDFC is yet to take a final decision in this regard,” the sources said. The issue has come to the fore with Mr Neeraj Chowdhury, the Corporation Chairman, visiting the City last week and inspecting the progress of the works between Thumbe and Mangalore.
Time lag
Though the pipeline laying works were over in a stretch of more than 11 kms out of the total 14 kms (about 80 pc), the completion got delayed due to the time lag in getting approval of the Railways, particularly South Western and Southern Railways. The sources said that the South Western Railway has already cleared the issue, while the same is pending before Southern Railways. However, they said, Southern Railways too have approved the request ‘in principle’ which is yet be communicated officially.
Once complete approval comes from the Southern Railways, the KUIDFC can continue the work from Padil, where it has been stuck over a long time now. The project also had to face objections from certain private people regarding land acquisition, which has been set right, the sources informed.
The project is also awaiting the nod of the NHAI to lay pipeline beside NH 48 in some 4 kms length. “As the highway is under four-laning process, they are still in need of land in some places, and are not ready to give extra space for water pipeline in about 4 kms stretch,” an official said. The NHAI has approved laying pipelines in the major portion, but disagreed in certain stretches where they themselves are lacking the space, he added.
The project which was commenced in 2003, was ought to be finished last year itself. Its present status indicates all possibilities of further delay. What will be the fate of the Rs 105-crore project: that depends on the Corporation’s stand on the contractors’ demand.