Top builders give Yelahanka's flyover project a wide berth

The BBMP's tenders for flyover projects seem to be attracting only a few of the major construction companies apparently due to several factors such as on-site challenges.

The lacklustre response has forced the BBMP to engage with companies that have a history of delivering substandard work or delaying a project beyond a reasonable time.

The Ejipura flyover project is a case in point. After it scraped the contract with Simplex Infrastructure in March last year, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) floated at least four tenders to finish the work but is yet to find a contractor for a project that should have been completed in 2019.

Response for tenders for the Rs 80-crore Kempegowda Circle flyover project in old Yelahanka was no different. Only two companies — MVR Infra Projects Ltd and BSCPL Infrastructure Ltd — participated in the tender. Both of them earned the BBMP’s wrath in the past for poor quality work in the Shivananda and Manjunath Nagar flyover projects.

BBMP sources said they generally request firms such as Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC) or PJB Engineers Ltd to take up flyover projects, but they have their own calculations. The two firms have grabbed a majority of flyover and underpass projects taken up in the BBMP limits.

When the BBMP floated tenders for the controversial Sankey Road flyover, it once again received only two bidders — PJB Engineers and BSCPL Limited.

BBMP’s engineer-in-chief B S Prahlad said the civic body approaches reputed firms for large projects. “A flyover worth Rs 60 crore may sound big for the BBMP, but the top firms do not prefer such works as they generally bid for projects that cost over Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,000 crore,” he said.

It is learnt that majority of lawmakers barring those representing Yelahanka and RR Nagar have stopped demanding funds for flyover construction due to the BBMP’s poor record of completing those projects on time.

This is apparent from the fact that only four flyover projects received funds from the state government’s allocation of Rs 8,500 crore under the Chief Minister’s Nava Nagarothana programme. A majority of the allocation was for roads and drains where work is completed faster.