The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has finally found a contractor for reconstruction of two foot overbridges (FOBs) at Marine Lines, which were demolished in March.
A proposal for the project, which will cost ₹4.34 crore, will be tabled before the standing committee on Wednesday.
After the collapse of the FOB near the Chhatrpati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in March, the BMC pulled down the FOBs at Marine Lines station, which were part of the initial list of 14 that required demolition. The FOBs were closed for traffic even before the collapse near the CSMT.
The Hindu had reported that the BMC had invited bids for the demolition and reconstruction of these two bridges, but the lowest bidder had quoted a high rate. The civic body has finalised M/s S V Innovabuild for the job, who had quoted around 29% above the BMC estimate.
After negotiation, the BMC brought the contractor down to 22% above its estimate. The proposal was to be sanctioned by the municipal commissioner but got stalled after to the model code of conduct came into force. Since the bridges are already demolished, the proposal will now involve reconstruction.
The contractor will have to complete the FOBs, which will be 20.5 metre long and 4.5 metre wide, within 18 months.
“We hope the standing committee passes the proposal immediately considering the need for FOBs and the time passed. The committee has not cleared a proposal to reconstruct a bridge in Kurla’s Khairani Road, which has been pulled down. As a result, commuters are having a tough time. We hope the panel passes both the proposals at its meeting on Wednesday,” an official from the BMC’s bridges department said.
