Maha Metro floats Rs 150 crore tender for Nagpur's Central Avenue, 10 months after bhoomipujan

The tender for the redevelopment of Central Avenue in Nagpur has finally been issued. Maha Metro has floated the tender for the project, which is worth about Rs 150 crore. Nearly 10 months have passed since the bhoomipujan. The tender has brought some relief to residents, but there is speculation over why it took so long and how much time construction will need.

Work on concretisation of the road and redevelopment of the footpath is still stuck at the pre-construction stage. The bhoomipujan for both the Central Avenue and Kamptee Road projects was held on December 15 last year. The two have moved at different speeds since. The PWD is carrying out the Kamptee Road work, which began about three months ago. Central Avenue has so far reached only the tender stage.

A senior Maha Metro official said the agency spent this time on detailed studies before finalising the project. According to the official, several studies on waterlogging and other problems have been completed. The official said local residents were also consulted and their suggestions sought.

The estimated cost was then sent to the PWD for approval, because the PWD owns the project and the responsibility for implementation has been given to Maha Metro. The tender could be issued only after approval was received. The PWD handed the work to Maha Metro in view of its experience in implementing large urban infrastructure projects.

The project covers about 6.1 km of Central Avenue, from Poddareshwar Ram Mandir to Prajapati Nagar in Pardi. It includes concretisation of the existing road and redevelopment of footpaths and other pedestrian facilities. Better stormwater drainage and a cycle track are also planned.

Central Avenue will be built using the white-topping method. In this, patches on the asphalt road are levelled and a cement topping is laid over it, so it is not a fully cement road. A cement road involves 18 inches of cementing, whereas white-topping uses 8 inches of cement concrete. The topping method has been chosen for this stretch. Full cementing will be done only where the asphalt road is beyond repair.

According to a statement recorded in the name of Maha Metro director Rajeev Tyagi, this method is no less durable and construction is also faster. The decision was made in view of the congestion on Central Avenue.

Central Avenue is one of the city's busiest commercial corridors, with heavy traffic throughout the day. To spare commuters and traders major hardship once construction begins, the work will have to be completed in phases and firm arrangements made to manage traffic. Several months have already been lost before work could start because of the long preparation and approval process.