Ahmedabad: A Rs 5.3 crore proposal to demolish a dilapidated minor bridge on Pirana-Piplaj road and construct a new one has hit a roadblock after Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) included a price escalation clause that violated state govt guidelines.The bridge spans a culvert connecting SP Ring Road on Pirana-Piplaj road in Lambha ward, South Zone. A new two-lane bridge is planned to replace the dilapidated structure.The road and building (R&B) committee rejected the proposal at its meeting on Wednesday and directed officials to invite fresh tenders, strictly adhering to the state (R&B) department’s guidelines.The tender stipulated a 12-month deadline for completing the bridge and allowed the contractor to claim price escalation for petrol, oil and lubricants (POL), labour and other materials. However, state guidelines permit such escalation only for projects lasting more than 12 months, making the provision inapplicable to this project.Committee chairman Jainik Vakil said, “As per state R&B guidelines, price escalation for POL (petrol, oil and lubricants), labour and other materials is applicable only when the work duration exceeds 12 months. Since the stipulated duration of this work is exactly 12 months, the tender should be reissued without the price escalation clause for POL, labour and other materials, subject to confirmation of the applicable guidelines.”The first tender attracted no bidders, while the second received a bid 18.1% above the estimated cost.
