The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the State government appear to be still devising ways and means to go ahead with the Kozhikode bypass widening project even as the the Hyderabad-based Krishna Mohan Construction Private Limited (KMC), which secured the work contract, is struggling to provide bank guarantee.
Already the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has approved the proposal to set up a consortium with INKEL, established by the State government, to take up the project. However, the company has also expressed interest to rope in a Kozhikode- based construction firm. At the same time, the government fears that the inordinate delay will lead to cost escalation.
₹1,710-crore project
The agreement for the ₹1,710-crore project was signed between the NHAI and KMC on April 18, 2018. But KMC failed to secure the bank guarantee of ₹85 crore to commence the project. Consequently, the NHAI decided to accept the performance bank guarantee from the company which was found unfavourable with the Public Works Department for various reasons.
As per the proposal, the construction of the six-lane bypass stretching from Vengalam to Idimuzhikkal should have started in August 2018 and completed in April 2020. The bank guarantee should have been submitted in November 2018.
Four companies, including the Vadakara-based Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS), had bid for the project, said to be one of the largest NHAI projects in terms of cost per km.
Interestingly, the tenders for the project had been postponed at least seven times.
The widening of the Kozhikode bypass has been drawn up under the National Highway Development Project Phase III to be executed in the hybrid annuity mode. Thus, the government will share 40% of the cost to start the work while the remaining investment will be made by the contractor.
More than two decades ago, land totalling 130 hectares had been acquired for the widening the bypass into 45-metre width.
Construction of four major bridges, a minor bridge, eight flyovers, four vehicle underpasses, 17 pedestrian underpasses, 64 pipe culverts and 39 box culverts have been conceived for the project.
Apart from changing the city-scape, the expansion of the 28.4 km Kozhikode bypass is also expected to solve the traffic problems on the stretch to a great extent.
