Faced with massive cost overruns in the construction of a memorial for Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian Sea, the state government may re-bid the project in packages. Instead of bidding out the entire project at one go, it may be split into smaller works like reclamation, construction of the equestrian statue and pedestal, jetties, and tourism infrastructure in an attempt to ensure lower costs.
The state government plans to launch work on the statue and memorial after the monsoons. It wants the statue to be the world's tallest by raising it to a staggering height of 210 metres as against the proposed 192 metres. This may, however, spike costs from the present estimate of Rs 3,700 crore for the two phases.
Though the state expected the first phase of the project to cost Rs 2,300 crore, Afcons and L&T had quoted Rs 4,779 crore and Rs 3,826 crore, respectively. MLC Vinayak Mete, who heads the committee implementing the project, admitted that the bids had surpassed their estimates.
"We have asked our officials and consultants to examine the huge discrepancy in the estimates and the actual bids… if this price rise is justified, we will negotiate with the lowest bidder. Else, we will have to go in for re-tendering, wherein instead of one composite tender, around three to four tenders for individual works will be floated," said Mete. He added that this could push down costs and ensure faster completion of the project and said, "We hope to complete this process by October and launch work after the rains."
The Shivaji Maharaj statue, which has a 36-month completion period, will come up on a 15.96-hectare rocky basalt outcrop in the Arabian Sea, 1.2 km southwest of Raj Bhawan. The statue will be made of a bronze alloy to withstand the saline marine environment, corrosion, and wind pressure.
Critics are apprehensive about whether these funds could be put to better use.
