IE : MMRDA invites tenders for Mithi rejuvenation plan : Aug 9, 2007
MMRDA invites tenders for Mithi rejuvenation plan
Express News Service
Mumbai, August 08: FINALLY, after a prolonged delay, key flood mitigation
schemes that are part of the Mithi river rejuvenation programme are set to
roll, with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA)
inviting tenders for various works along the course of the river. Some of
these works were to have begun in March this year.
On Tuesday, the MMRDA invited bids from contractors for the desilting and
deepening of the Vakola nullah and for the construction of retaining walls
and a high-tech ‘diaphragm wall’ along the river. A diaphragm wall is
typically a retaining wall strengthened by a slurry or liquid-filled trench
that exerts hydraulic pressure on the concrete structure, used often to
retain ground water. The cost of the four packages of work is estimated at
Rs 119.6 crore.
The reason for the delay is that these jobs required a great deal of
technical expertise,” said an MMRDA official. “Two lakh cubic metres of rock
have to be blasted, pus the diaphragm wall construction is unique. That’s
why bidders needed time to study the job carefully.”
While the worst bottlenecks along the river had been removed in the first
phase, the second phase of the Mithi river programme has been fraught by
delays.
Publication : IE: Section : MN; Pg : 3; Date : 9/8/07