NMC struggles to attract bidders as repeated tenders delay garden projectsNagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) floated a fresh e-tender on September 11 for installing outdoor adventure climbing sets in six city gardens, including Mahatma Phule, Suyog Nagar, Shankar Nagar, and Dhantoli. Marked as a “2nd call”, the Rs88.10 lakh tender is the latest example of how the civic body is struggling to attract bidders for even basic development works. This is not an isolated case. Between April 1 and September 11, NMC issued 684 tenders worth Rs1,492.82 crore. Of these, 65 tenders — together valued at Rs309.82 crore — were reissued. Departments worst affected include public works (30), electrical (15), public health engineering (5), garden (3), health/medicine (1), and water works and zone No.6 (two each).The garden tenders reflect a wider contractor reluctance. In recent years, NMC has inserted disclaimers in work orders that payments for state-funded projects will be cleared only after govt grants are received. This clause, introduced during a financial crunch, has made contractors wary of projects ranging from garden equipment to routine civic works.The roots of the problem go back to the Uddhav Thackeray govt, when state funds to NMC were delayed. Forced to dip into its reserves, the corporation eroded its financial credibility. Contractors now treat NMC tenders as risky, often quoting inflated rates to hedge against payment delays or avoiding bids entirely.Adventure parks planned in six gardens have already suffered. While four firms have bid for the flagship project at Lata Mangeshkar Garden — a Rs8.79 crore, two-acre facility with 15 adventure activities — no agency was finalised in two earlier rounds for the remaining five gardens, which together carry a modest outlay of Rs88.10 lakh. Four agencies have expressed interest in developing the adventure park at Lata Mangeshkar Udyan. Once the technical bids are opened, the selected agency will be assigned the work, said garden superintendent Amol Chaurpagar. Meanwhile, the tender process for setting up facilities in four other gardens has been reissued for the second time.With re-tenders turning into a norm, Nagpur’s development pipeline is slowing to a crawl. Unless NMC restores trust with assured payment schedules, both major infrastructure and smaller amenities risk getting stuck in paperwork, leaving citizens waiting indefinitely.
