The Irrigation authorities have received response for just two of the 13 packages of Krishna Delta Modernisation works.
Vijayawada Irrigation Circle Superintending Engineer D. Chandra Rao told The Hindu after the technical bids were opened on Wednesday that tenders for just two drainage packages were received from a single bidder. There were no takers for the remaining eight drainage packages and three irrigation packages. Contractors were not coming forward to take up these works despite repeated calls for tenders and reduction in the size of packages. The ‘single tenders' received would have to be sent to the State government for final approval, he said.
The Superintendent Engineer said he would also write to the Government asking for advice on how to proceed with the packages for which there was no response. There was scope to further reduce the size of the packages or call for short-notice tenders.
Mr. Rao said that administrative sanction had been granted for five irrigation packages with works worth Rs. 293.69 crores and a single drainage package with works worth Rs. 36.78 crores at a meeting in Hyderabad on Monday. Work on the modernisation of South Channel, East Channel and Ryve's Canal and two of its reaches, for which tenders were finalised at the end of last season, would begin shortly. Works for the modernisation of Inampudi drain have also been granted administrative sanction in this spell.
Sanctioned
Mr. Chandra Rao said that Rs. 23 crore had been sanctioned for the improvement of 200 irrigation tanks with ayacuts of between 50 and 100 acres in Krishna district as part of a new scheme in which the Central government would extend a matching grant of 25 per cent.
