VIJAYAWADA: Fresh tenders with enhanced rates for earthwork would be called in the next few days for strengthening of the Krishna left floodbank and for laying of a double-lane road from Vijayawada to Avanigadda at an estimated cost of Rs. 105 crores, Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries Mandali Buddha Prasad said on Thursday.

Speaking to The Hindu , he said there were no takers for the tenders called for taking up the work of strengthening the left floodbank at an estimated cost of Rs. 74.64 crores. No contractor had come forward to bid, because they felt that the earthwork rate of Rs. 25 per cubic metre specified in the tender document was meagre.

The R&B, too, was not satisfied with standards of the double-lane road planned on the floodbank after its strengthening.

Mr. Buddha Prasad said he had spoken to Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy about this and a decision was taken to enhance the earthwork rate to Rs. 86 per cubic metre, which was also the rate paid to the contractors for the strengthening of flood banks of the Godavari in Dowleswaram division. Following the decision, the project cost had gone up by an additional Rs. 20 crores.

It was also decided to follow the R&B standards for the double-lane road planned on the flood bank.

A meeting was held with the Engineer-in-Chief of the R&B on Thursday to finalise the details of the project.

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