Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, May 30: The Sopore Bypass bridge in North Kashmir that was to be commissioned 5 years ago is still under construction and locking of horns between the contractor and Border Roads Organization (BRO) over the enhancement of rates due to cost escalation over the years may delay its commissioning further.
The construction of the Bridge that has vital importance for the Apple town Sopore in North Kashmir was started in 2004 by M/S Mir Constructions who got the contract from the BRO’s Project Beacon. The BRO officials say that the 216 meter bridge that was coming at a cost of Rs 9.36 Crore was to be commissioned in March 2008 but has not been completed yet as work on the bridge is going at snail pace.
Farooq Ahmad Mir of M/S Mir Constructions admitted that there has been initial delay due to land acquisition but blamed the 2008, 2009, 2010 summer unrest for the further delay in the completion of the project.
Mir said that he is suffering huge losses due to escalation of prices. “I got the contract at Rs 3.95 lakh per metre in 2004 but since then there has been cost escalation. I should be paid compensation for the losses I am suffering”, he said.
Mir said that present rate for construction of bridges is much higher and the State Government is paying Rs 12 lakh per metre to Jammu and Kashmir Project Contractions Corporation. “I am demanding Rs 8 lakh per metre and BRO has sent the file to ministry for the escalation of the project cost. Once the file gets cleared I will complete the project”, Mir added.
Mir, however, admitted that the work is going on slow pace. “I am working on 3rd slab of the bridge and will complete 4th slab by July. After this I will stop work on the last slab till the BRO clears the revised rates of the bridge as my company is suffering huge losses due to this project”, he added.
A top BRO official, however, made it clear that Beacon will not pay any compensation or cost escalation to the M/S Mir Constructions. “We are not at fault. It is the contractor who has not completed the project on its dead line of March 2008”, he added.
The BRO official rejected any delay in land acquisition and said that the organization has paid the cost escalation to the company upto 2008. “The contractor says that his equipment is idle at the construction site and has to pay VAT to the Government at new rates for which he needs compensation. But we are not at fault as we are only responsible upto March 2008”, said the official.
The BRO official said that the Beacon can’t pay money beyond the contractual obligations. “No file has gone to the ministry for enhancement of the rates for the Sopore bridge construction as it is against contractual rules”, he added.
According to an official document (dated 27-03-2013) in the Deputy Commissioner’s Officer at Baramulla:”The Contractor and the BRO Officials have mutually agreed for extension of the deadline for the Commissioning of the bridge to 31st October 2013 without the knowledge of Civil Administration.”
The document says that Chief Engineer Beacon, higher authorities held a meeting with Chief Secretary on 26-08-2013 in which the deadline for the completion of the bridge was set December 2012.
The official document says that both the Beacon and Contractor are not taking the construction of bridge seriously and have always deceived the local administration.
The president of the Traders Federation Sopore, Mohammad Ashraf, said that traders in particular and people of the Sopore and North Kashmir in general are desperately waiting for the completion of the project that was started in early 1990. He said that they have brought the matter to the notice of the Chief Minister several times but there is no headway. They have threatened to launch protests if the construction of the bridge continues at snail’s pace.
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