BMC plans ₹22 cr contract for walkway
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to award a ₹22 crore contract to a private contractor for the construction of a 700-metre-long treetop walkway at Malabar Hill in South Mumbai.
According to the proposal, the walkway will provide an uninterrupted view to the citizens of the Arabian Sea over the green cover of the Malabar Hills. This walkway will be similar to the treetop skywalks present in Singapore. The walkway will be 705 metres long, 1.5 metres high and 2.5 metres wide. The BMC had invited tenders for this project back in August 2021, however, the estimated cost of the project was pegged at ₹12.66 crore back then.
In the proposal to be tabled at the standing committee, the BMC said that only one contractor responded to the bid and that the contractor demanded ₹18.99 crore for taking up the project which was almost 50% higher than the estimated price. The BMC said that on further negotiation the contractor was ready to work at ₹17.73 crore which is 40% higher than the estimated cost and the overall cost of this project including tax rates presently stand at ₹22.49 crore.
“The project will take place at a silent zone which is why the works could be carried out only during limited hours of the day. Due to this more labourers will be required to complete the job during the estimated deadline. Besides this, the slopes of Malabar Hills is an eco-sensitive zone and construction work over there will be risky and more advanced machinery will be used. These factors automatically escalated the cost,” said an official.
The proposal will be tabled in the standing Committee on Wednesday and work orders will be issued after the committee clears the proposal.