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One contract scrapped, termination cloud over six others

By Rituraj Borthakur

GUWAHATI, June 25 - Taking a stern view of the slow progress of national highway four-laning works, the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) has terminated another contract � the fourth so far � and recommended for termination of another six.

The four-laning of the NH-37 and NH-52 is being executed through 12 contracts signed with different firms.

The contract with TK Engineering Consortium Pvt Ltd, which was executing the 18-km Nagaon bypass-Rangagara stretch, has been terminated. In three years, the firm could complete only 20 per cent of the work. Following termination, the firm will have to forfeit 10 per cent of the project cost.

�We have also recommended for termination of six other contracts. Two of them are being executed by TK Engineering, one by Simplex and three by M/s GDCL,� NHIDCL executive director (projects) Ajay Ahluwalia told The Assam Tribune.

Ahluwalia said �to be more fair and just� contractors implementing these seven contracts were given notices last year just before the start of the working season after which they made some commitments. Their performance was again analyzed in March-April this year and it was found that they �miserably failed� to keep their commitments.

TK Engineering has also got notices of termination on two other stretches it is engaged � the 26-km Jamuguri-Biswanath Chariali and the 57-km Biswanath Chariali-Gohpur. The progress in these two stretches is 18 per cent and 40 per cent respectively in three years. TK Engineering is implementing the Biswanath Chariali-Gohpur four-laning work jointly with Ramky.

M/s GDCL has been slapped termination notice for poor progress in three contracts � 37-km Jorhat-Jhanji, 44-km Jhanji-Demow and 26-km Demow-Moran bypass. The progress in these stretches is 3.5 per cent (in one and half years), 4 per cent (in one and half years) and 30 per cent in three years respectively.

Simplex has got the termination notice after it could complete only nine per cent of the 12-km Rangagara-Kaliabor Tiniali stretch in one and half years.

The firms have been asked to reply within fifteen days as to why the contracts should not be terminated.

Of the five remaining contracts on NH-37 and NH-52, three are progressing �more or less satisfactorily� � the bridge over the Brahmaputra river near Tezpur, Numaligarh-Jorhat and Dibrugarh bypass, while two others have some land acquisition hurdles, according to Ahluwalia, who conducted an inspection of the all the stretches last weekend.

Earlier, the NHIDCL had terminated three contracts due to poor performance. M/s Atlanta Ltd was ousted from the Moran bypass-Bogibeel section, while Corsan Corvium SA had lost both its contracts for four-laning of the Jhanji-Demow and Jorhat-Jhanji stretches. The latter two sections were awarded to M/s GDCL after floating fresh tenders.

Sources said the contractors could not perform due to lack of funds and poor management.

The NHIDCL is currently executing 3,322 km road and bridge works in Assam. The total cost of these projects is estimated at Rs 55,731 crore.

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