BENGALURU: Just a day after Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd (KRDCL) called for tenders for the construction of the 22 km North-South stretch of the elevated corridor project, questions are raised as to why the environmental clearance, said to have been obtained just a few hours before floating the tenders, was not uploaded on the website.
Vinay Srinivasa, a citizen activist tweeted: “Elevated corridor has not got environmental impact assessment done, which has to be studied before issuing EC... How then did tenders get issued?”
However, Krishna Reddy, former KRDCL chairman under whose chairmanship the project report was prepared, said, “The project has got all the required clearances and only then we floated tenders.”
Srinivasa said, “If KRDCL claims to have got the environmental clearance, then they should upload it on the e-procurement portal. Without uploading it on the website, how can they call for tenders?”
Srinivas Alavilli, member, Citizens for Bengaluru, said, “This is not appreciable that the government is calling for tenders when there is a lot of opposition. It is also not ethical that KRDCL, which was earlier blacklisted, is calling for tenders even without public consultations. We urge the Chief Minister to hold public consultations first.”
The project, estimated to cost Rs 33,000 crore, will have four major components - North-South, East-West 1 and 2 and three connecting corridors. The KRDCL has floated tenders for the North-South component as part of the first instalment of the project.