Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation Ltd. (UPSBC Ltd.), which was awarded the contract for construction of the Jorhat-Majuli bridge over the Brahmaputra, has now almost surrendered the work, having expressed their inability to complete the work. A cure notice was issued to the construction firm by Assam PWD (NH Division) for halting the work on the bridge since September 5, 2024. In response to the cure notice, the UPSBC Ltd. informed the Assam PWD (NH Division) about their inability to finish the work.
A cure notice is issued by the government to a contractor who is failing to perform their contract. The notice gives the contractor a period of time to fix the issue. If the contractor doesn't fix the issue within the time frame, the government may terminate the contract.
Sources in Assam PWD (NH Division) said that since the UPSBC Ltd. was awarded the work by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the final decision on the award of the balance work on the bridge project will be taken by MoRTH. Both MoRTH and Assam PWD (NH Division) are examining the communiqué from the contracting firm issued in response to the cure notice.
The work on this 8.25-km bridge, including the approach roads, was awarded to M/s UP State Bridge Construction Corporation Ltd., Lucknow. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ceremonially launched the construction of this bridge on November 29, 2021. According to the agreement of the award of the work, the bridge was scheduled to be completed in 48 months (four years). However, 35 months have already elapsed, but only around 32 percent of works have been completed so far. It is now certain that the bridge will never be completed on the scheduled time.
Sources also said that when a firm expresses inability to complete a work, a long procedure kicks in, from termination of the original contract, invitation of fresh tender for the balance work, evaluation of the bids, award of contract, to issue of appointment date, among others. The whole procedure consumes at least six months to one year from the initiation of the process.
The ball is now in the court of MoRTH and it is up to them to take up the matter in earnest and start the process for fresh award of contract so that this vital bridge is completed.
According to sources, M/s UP State Bridge Construction Corporation Ltd., which had won the award of the project, gave it on subcontract to another construction company named BRC. Some kind of conflict over payment between the two construction companies, M/s UP State Bridge Construction Corporation Ltd. and BRC, had its spillover effect on the construction of the bridge, and the work came to a grinding halt on September 5.
The conflict between them has come to such a point that BRC took away most of their machinery, materials, and manpower from the project site.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) sanctioned Rs. 925.47 crore for the construction of the Majuli-Jorhat Bridge. The bridge will be a two-lane one.
Last month, in a meeting of the Assam CM with the Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, the latter assured that he would personally look into the construction of the bridge.
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