Evaluation of tenders for construction of the new integrated Secretariat complex has been deferred yet again.
The Roads and Buildings Department, which invited tenders for the construction of the new integrated complex, has announced that the last date for submission of the tenders has been extended to October 20. According to the revised notification issued by the department, the last date of submission for tenders initially was October 13 and the technical bids were expected to be decided on the same day.
The latest move comes despite revision of the tender notification issued last month extending the time line for submission of the bids. The government has proposed to construct the new complex at an estimated ₹500 crore and the cost has gone up to close to ₹630 crore subsequently, following inclusion of several other structures along with the master plan for the complex.
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Tender notices had been issued for identification of prospective bidders and the last date of filing the bids was revised twice. In the first instance, the construction value of the new secretariat was pegged at ₹ 400 crore, which received the consent of the State cabinet and this was subsequently revised to ₹ 500 crore. The escalation in the cost of the construction was attributed to inclusion of staff quarters and related facilities for the staff as well as security mechanism.
“Tender submission date has been postponed till October 20 in view of heavy rains and public holidays,” a senior official connected with the process told The Hindu .
More than the security and other concerns, the main factor is resistance from the groups working for environmental protection around Tank Bund and the cases filed against the new complex citing the grave concerns about on the impact on environment in the twin cities.
