AMC clears contracts worth crores above estimated cost for cement-concrete roads

With just four months left before the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) general elections, contractors are being favoured under the pretext of building cement roads.

In wards such as Maninagar, Danilimda, Behrampura, Isanpur, Lambha, and others, an initial estimate of ₹50 crore was set for cement road construction.

However, the Road Committee approved a proposal to award the contract to Niyati Construction at 27.75% above the estimate—raising the cost to ₹63.87 crore. GST will be paid separately to the contractor.

In the past, several poor quality cement road projects have raised concerns. For instance, a cement road built at Gurukul for ₹11 crore had to be broken due to a pipeline leakage.

Similarly, on Prerna Tirth Derasar Road in Jodhpur, the contractor constructed the cement road over eight manholes, forcing the ₹11.41 crore road to be drilled and broken to expose the covered manholes.

Moreover, a cement road in Nava Vadaj, built at a cost of ₹8 crore, developed potholes within just six months. Despite these experiences, the ruling leadership continues to push for cement road construction.

Jayesh Patel, chairman of the Road Committee, stated that the contract was awarded under the ‘Annual Rate Contract’ system to avoid issuing fresh tenders for every project. However, he had no answer when asked why the contract was approved for ₹63.87 crore (excluding GST) against the estimate of ₹50 crore.

In Paldi, Vasna, Naranpura, Navrangpura, and other wards of West Ahmedabad, a contract worth ₹75.90 crore was awarded to Shreeji Infraspace for cement road construction—₹15.60 crore higher than the original estimate of ₹60 crore. This proposal was approved in the Road Committee meeting held two months ago.

In the North Zone, including Naroda, Saijpur, Kubernagar, Sardarnagar, India Colony, Bapunagar, and nearby wards, the original estimate for cement road construction was ₹50 crore. Yet, the Road Committee awarded the contract to Vijay Infra Projects at 27.51% above the estimate—at a final cost of ₹93.75 crore.