The State Road Construction Department has decided to float the tender for the toll collection on Tata-Kandra Road. Though the department had floated such tender thrice earlier since October, 2014 but there were no bidders. The department will move for retender soon.
Chief engineer, PWD-Road Construction department MP Chowdhury said that the department has decided to re-tender for toll collection on the Tata-Kandra Road and they would continued to do so until any contractor turns up for the tender.He said the re-tender will be done in the first week of April. The tender amount will be remain same-—Rs15.52 crore for two years.
"As per our studies the target of Rs15.52 crore of toll collection on Tata-Kandra Road in two years is not a big target but I cannot comment as to why no one is coming forward for participating in the tender process. The Tata-Kandra Road is economically viable for collection of toll," Chowdhury said.
Officials informed that the toll is designed to be collected mainly from the commercial vehicles and four-wheelers that ply on the main lane of the Tata-Kandra Road. But due to service lanes remaining incomplete, the smaller vehicles, including the two wheelers are also plying on the main carriage lanes, leading to creating confusing situation. We, therefore, understand unless the service lanes on either side of the four-lane are completed no contractor or agency will be ready to submit the tender.
Meanwhile officials of PWD, Road Construction's Adityapur division, claimed that they are trying to complete the service lanes by removing encroachment. The 15.3 kms-long Tata-Kandra Road in adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan linking Jamshedpur was set up at a cost of Rs185 crore on PPP basis. As per the agreement, the department has to pay Rs22 crore to JARDCl, the company that built the road, every six months.
Notably, over 2,000 heavy vehicles, including trailers, vans and other mode of vehicles every day-round-the-clock to Kandra-Tata four lane which is the artery of Adityapur industrial hub, linking to steel city of Jamshedpur on the one hand and NH-33 on the other hand through the Kandra-Chandil road.