Mumbai: Escalating costs in the extension of the Mrunaltai Gore Flyover in Goregaon came under scrutiny at the civic standing committee on Wednesday, with members flagging that the project cost has nearly tripled over the past seven years.The contract for the construction of the extended flyover spanning S V Road from Ram Mandir Road to Relief Road was initially approved at Rs 209.64 crore, including various taxes. However, the project cost has now escalated by Rs 38.33 crore, bringing the total to Rs 247.97 crore. The construction work is being carried out through the joint venture company MEPL-GYAN JV.The escalation proposal, tabled for final approval, was deferred after corporators across party lines raised concerns over delays, planning lapses, and the role of the consultant and contractor. The committee has now decided to conduct a joint site visit with civic engineers before taking a final call.UBT Shiv Sena corporator Yashodhar Phanse, who sought the visit, questioned the prolonged delay in completing the flyover extension, saying that the project has been pending for over seven years. BJP corporator Priti Satam raised doubts over the initial planning and the consultant’s estimates, asking how discrepancies surfaced only after four years. She also flagged the possibility of a nexus between the consultant and contractor.Leader of the House Ganesh Khankar demanded that both the consultant and civic engineers be present during the site inspection to explain the reasons behind the cost escalation.Congress group leader Ashraf Azmi questioned why no penalties were imposed on the contractor despite the prolonged delay. He also raised concerns over the allocation of nearly Rs 15 crore towards resurfacing and installation of noise barriers, asking why such expenditures were not flagged earlier.Standing committee chairman Prabhakar Shinde said members will visit the project site in Goregaon along with officials to assess the situation on the ground. A decision on approving the revised cost will be taken after the inspection.
