The Hindu : Wasting pubic money, NDMC shows the way

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 08, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Wasting pubic money, NDMC shows the way

By Sandeep Joshi

NEW DELHI, FEB. 7 .Yet another unprofessional and unplanned move of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) led to wastage of over Rs.38 lakhs of public money. It was in 1996 that the Council resolved to construct a subway at Bhagwan Das Road to clear pedestrian rush near the Supreme Court. However, it took the Council full six years to get the work completed and this "abnormal delay resulted in avoidable extra expenditure" of public money.

In May 1996, the Council approved over Rs.1 crore for the subway construction work. However, it took the Council's Civil Engineering Department two years to prepare a detailed estimate of Rs.79.38 lakhs. "The Department has failed to clarify the reason for the delay," stated the Council's Annual Audit Report for the year ending March 2001 presented to the civic body recently.

When the negotiations were on with the lowest bidder for the construction of the subway, the Traffic Management Committee in 1998 decided to call fresh drawings, estimate and other modalities so that the new technology could be used for the construction work. "Thereafter, considerable time was lost in obtaining lists of empanelled consultants and pre-qualified construction agencies shortlisted by the Delhi's Public Works Department and the Delhi Development Authority, and the work of consultancy for the revised structural design of the subway was awarded in April 2000," the Report said.

Ironically, after a period of about 20 months, the Department finally decided to get the work done by the conventional "cut and cover" method on the ground as trenchless technology for that particular type of work was not available in India.

Accordingly, tenders were again invited in August 2000 and the contract was awarded only in January 2001 at a cost of over Rs.1.15 crore. The work was however completed in July 2002 at a total cost of Rs.1.3 crore. The Audit Report further states: "due to abnormal delay in planning, the cost of the work increased from Rs.91.56 lakhs during the first tender in September 1998 to Rs.1.3 crore in July 2002 resulting in avoidable extra expenditure of Rs.38.68 lakhs."

This is not the first time that the Council had been found guilty of misusing and wasting public money. The demolition of the Rail Bhawan-Krishi Bhawan subway on Rafi Marg to pave way for construction of the Metro Rail corridor is yet another glaring example of colossal waste of public money. In less then four years of its construction at a cost of Rs.2 crores, the subway had to be demolished.

Ironically, the subway was constructed by the NDMC long after the Delhi Government and the Union Ministry of Urban Development had finalised plans for the ambitious Metro Rail project. Though there was no rationale for its construction considering that it was clearly in the way of the rail corridor, the civic agency nevertheless went ahead and spent all the money it did on its construction.

As if this were not enough, even until as late as March 1999 -- when construction work on Metro Rail had already begun -- NDMC was contemplating another subway on Rafi Marg between Vayu Bhawan and Udyog Bhawan. Its 1999-2000 "Budget at a Glance" listed this subway as one of the proposed major projects.

Then there is NDMC's another infamous project -- New Delhi City Centre (NDCC) Phase- II - that still awaits completion even after 10 years since its construction began. Conceived in 1992, the foundation stone of the 11-storey commercial project was laid way back on February 16, 1994 ,and was to be completed in four years at an estimated cost of Rs.61.60 crores.

But due to delay, the project's cost has kept on escalating and it is now likely to touch around Rs.100 crores. And that is not all. The undue delay has already cost the NDMC a revenue loss of Rs.125 crores as the new building was to fetch the Council Rs.25 crores as annual revenue.

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