BENGALURU: With major construction firm Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) bagging the tender for two underground packages, the much-delayed Metro connectivity on the Gottigere-Nagawara corridor gains momentum.

L&T has received the bids for the underground section from Vellara Junction to Shivajinagar (2.7km) and Shivajinagar to Pottery Town (2.8km), for which the firm had quoted Rs 1,329.1 crore and Rs 1,299.2 crore, respectively.

The BMRCL’s estimated cost for the two packages — Vellara Junction to Shivajinagar and Shivajinagar to Pottery Town — were Rs 1,131 crore and Rs 1,105 crore, respectively. Now, the tendered cost of the two packages is Rs 392 crore more than the estimated cost.

Though the tendered project cost is 17% more than BMRCL estimates, in the earlier tender the lowest bids for the two packages were 67%-75% more.

L&T will be responsible for the design and construction of underground structures, including tunnels and stations for a length of 5.6km. The firm will build five stations, including Vellara Junction, MG Road, Shivajinagar, Cantonment and Pottery Town on Reach 6 (Gottigere to Nagawara) line of Metro’s Phase 2.

While BMRCL has set 2024 as the deadline for commissioning of the underground section, the presence of a reputed firm like L&T is expected to speed up the process as tunnelling work often delays projects. In fact, BMRCL took about five years to complete the 10km tunnelling work during Metro’s first phase and missed multiple deadlines.

The 13.9km Dairy Circle and Nagawara underground stretch is part of the 21km Gottigere-Nagawara line. The underground section was divided into four packages for speedy construction. Though L&T received packages 2 and 3, BMRCL is yet to finalise tenders for package 1 (Dairy Circle-Vellara Junction) and package 4 (Tannery Road-Nagawara).

How BMRCL broke the cartels

Construction firms allegedly formed cartels and jacked up the cost by 67%-75% for the four underground packages, prompting BMRCL to cancel the tender and to float it only for two of the packages. Sources said Mahendra Jain, who was the then managing director of BMRCL, had even spoken of going elevated if the bids continued to remain high. This seems to have worked as the new tender is just 17% above BMRCL’s estimated cost. This has helped the corporation save about Rs 1,200 crore in the two tenders and another Rs 1,300 crore is likely to be saved once the remaining two tenders are awarded. Jain, who is now the additional chief secretary of the urban development department, had also written to various construction firms, warning them against indulging in cartels and threatened to take action.

Traffic likely to be hit in CBD areas

With L&T taking up work on the underground Metro section, traffic in the central business district is likely to be affected. L&T is expected to take up tunnelling and related work in areas like Vellara Junction, MG Road, Shivajinagar, Cantonment and Pottery Town. Work is expected to begin at any time.

