THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL), the special purpose vehicle for the smart road projects in the capital, has floated e-tenders multiple times for the development of the roads, no contractor has come forward to carry out the work. Reason: The lack of coordination among various departments and utilities, including KSEB, KWA, and BSNL, and the apparent delay in the completion of work.
Due to this, the SCTL and Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB), which is the implementing agency of the project, had to re-tender the entire project. On Tuesday, the SCTL re-tendered nine road projects for the development of smart roads and underground ducting, including the shifting of water supply and power lines under corporation roads in the city. Similarly, the KRFB is all set to call a tender for the development of the Althara-Thycaud and Chenthitta-Attakulangara stretches this week by dividing into two reaches.
A source with SCTL said that the contractors were initially hesitant due to previous failures to complete the work within the time-frame. However, SCTL hopes that more contractors would come forward this time so as to ensure the completion of smart roads on time. SCTL floated four tenders earlier, but no contracting firm participated in the bidding process.
“It is true that the contractor did not take part in the bidding process four times. It is primarily because the contract was awarded in a larger package that requires more time to complete.The entire project is now divided into smaller packages so that a contract for roads with a maximum length of 1km can be awarded. The lack of coordination among the departments is a major issue. However, the tenders for some roads, which were called recently, found some bidders due to smaller packages. This will be continued for the remaining projects that come under the SCTL as well as the KRFB,” said a senior officer of SCTL.
The lag in carrying out the work on the smart road had tarnished the image of the government and the city corporation. Since then, the corporation and ministers have openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the contractors. The last contract was finalised in late 2021. However, the contractor was unable to execute the work properly. He had also invited criticism from the public for the shoddy work.
As part of the project, 40 km of roads will be developed. KRFB is entrusted with the task of converting 13 roads into smart roads. Of them, the Althara-Attakulangara Road will be white-topped, and it will be the longest smart road in the capital.
The other roads are mostly pocket roads, like the Manaveeyam Road and Kalabhavan Mani Road. The Manaveeyam Road, the cultural corridor of the capital city, was opened to the public without completing the work, and it had drawn sharp criticism. In the first phase, the work on eight roads will be completed, while the remaining five, which are minor roads, will be completed before April. The deadline for the smart road projects is April. However, the SCTL and the KRFB expect to seek an extension for the completion of the project until March next year.
All overhead utilities on these stretches will be laid underground as part of the project. Special features of the smart road include dedicated cycle tracks, LED streetlights, and ample footpaths. The smart road work began in February 2021. However, its progress has been hampered due to several factors, including the pandemic, labour shortage, and frequent rain in the region.