BANGALORE: The indecisive nature of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has resulted in yet another project’s delay.
The foundation stone of the Ambedkar Bhavan in KR Puram was laid back in December 2009 by the erstwhile chief minister, B S Yeddyurappa.
Intriguingly though the work order for the same was sanctioned eight months after the foundation was laid, the construction accomplished till date, is far from completion.
“There have been a number of reasons for the delay in the construction.
To begin with there was a dispute between the Lake Development Authority and the Palike over the land.
For eight to nine months the work had come to a complete standstill,” said Mohan, the onsite engineer.
He further added that once that matter was resolved, the blueprint of the building also went through a number of changes.
“The outcome of very official visit would be a revised or a modified blueprint.
As a result we would have to accommodate all the new changes which in turn caused the time lag,” he added.
Even while laying the foundation, the team encountered a number of problems.
Soil conditions and the rocks were some of the major problems faced by the team.
After 11 feet of excavation the rafters of the lower basement are still not complete.
“Over the last one year we have only been excavating.
Since we cannot blast in the area, all the cutting has to be done manually.
Hence it is very time consuming,” said Mohammad, another engineer at the site.
The cost of the entire project has increased almost two folds from its original estimate.
To begin with the budget for the project was estimated at ` 18 crore, but by the time the project is completed it could go up to `30 crore.
“The money is being released in installments.
At the moment we have used approximately `3 crore of the `4.92 crore that was approved.
We have also presented the new budget and the amount is under scrutiny at the moment,” informed Mohan.
The main aim to construct the Ambedkar Bhavan in the area was to give the residents of the nearby localities a space to hold functions and training classes.
According to the current blueprint the project is split into four sections — lower basement, upper basement, ground and the mezzanine floor.
The basements will be used as a four wheeler parking space that can hold approximately 175 cars together.
Meanwhile, the ground floor and the mezzanine floor will be home to an auditorium that can roughly seat a 1,000 visitors and two training centres that can accommodate 700 people each.
The construction has also taken into account the fire safety measures with a total of six emergency exits.
Adding to that it will also be equipped with four lifts, 20 toilets, a cafeteria and open parking space within the periphery for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers.
“This is probably one of the biggest projects undertaken by the Palike this year and it will have one of the best auditoriums in the city in terms of design and capacity.
The architecture of the project encapsulates all the necessary facilities required for public usage.
If all goes well and there are no last minute changes, the project that is spread over two acres of land should be complete by 2014,” said Mohan