It is embroiled in one controversy or another. The latest one involves the Mantralaya renovation contract.
The PWD outsourced the work to an independent architect despite having a full-fledged wing that deals with architectural designs headed by the chief architect. But what has raised eyebrows is the high cost of bids which were received from the qualified contractors.
The lowest bid was Rs 163 crore as against the official estimate of Rs 110 crore to restore and renovate three damaged floors of the state headquarters.
The lowest bid by Unity Infrasprojects works out to a phenomenal Rs 13,000 a sq ft for the renovation and restoration of about 1.25 lakh sq ft of space. Experts said a decent quality job could be done at half the rate.
No wonder that a high-level committee headed by the state chief secretary is contemplating cancelling the bids unless the contractors reduce their price. Another suspicious thing about the project is when the state's chief architect Bipin Sankhe was asked by his superiors not to attend official meetings to discuss the renovation proposal. Sankhe wrote a strongly-worded letter to the PWD secretary, complaining that while his juniors were allowed to participate in the discussions, he was being kept out.
Earlier this year, the PWD's decision to award a little-known contractor to build a new Maharashtra Sadan building in Delhi created a storm in political circles after it was revealed the obscene profits the contractor would make from the project.
The opulent state guesthouse in Lutyen's zone is already mired in controversy following revelations that companies owned by the state PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal's family and associates were involved in its construction. The minister denied the allegation. The inauguration of the complex was indefinitely postponed because of the controversy surrounding it.
Three years ago, the PWD faced flak for the manner in which the the Mantralaya redevelopment project was handled. Rival builders complained they were not offered a level-playing field and the tender document was ambiguous about the development potential of the project. The state government was then forced to shelve the plan. Given the slew of scams in the recent past, the government needs to ensure total transparency in handling such large proj
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