Panchkula: Construction of the Panchkula municipal corporation’s long-delayed office building in Sector 3 has hit another roadblock after the civic body failed to attract any bidders in its latest tender, officials said.Despite re-inviting contractors for the ₹17.6-crore project—which requires just eight months of remaining work—the corporation could not finalise an agency, extending a three-year stall that has left the MC functioning without a unified headquarters since its inception in 2010.“Rather than mindlessly floating tenders repeatedly, the corporation should study and evaluate where it is lacking that no one is ready to take up the work. Due to the long delay, not only are employees suffering, but residents are facing inconvenience too. Staff have little space to sit while the visitors have to visit different sectors for works and meeting officials. It is strange the corporation that has to contribute to city’s development is not able to build its own office even after so many years,” said SK Nayar, president of the Panchkula Citizens Welfare Association.The proposed five-storey structure with a basement, spread over a 1.2-acre plot, was initiated in 2020 following a ₹29.49-crore contract awarded in Dec 2019. Originally slated for completion by April 2021, the project ground to a halt in February 2023 after the MC terminated the original contractor’s agreement over unauthorized sub-contracting, execution discrepancies, and chronic delays.Before the termination, the previous contractor had executed work worth ₹11 crore. Over ₹17 crore of finishing and balance construction work remains pending.Due to the lack of a dedicated building, MC operations remain fragmented across three separate facilities in Sectors 4, 12A, and 14, with one branch operating out of a local community center.
