PANAJI
The Goa cabinet approved a proposal to appoint S N Bhobe and Associates as a project management consultant, also known as Authority’s Engineer, for the ₹397 crore four-laning work from Varunapuri to Sada Junction and elevated road and flyover from Ravindra Bhavan junction at Baina to Gate No 9 of Mormugao Port being undertaken by Gammon India.
The work is being jointly undertaken by Mormugao Port Trust, the National Highways Authority of India and the Government of Goa, and has been ongoing since November 2015.
Earlier, the work of authority’s engineer was being undertaken by the Public Works Department’s Work Department XIV.
However, the government felt that for a work of this magnitude involving a major concrete structure and bridges over railway lines, expertise is essential at the planning, design and execution stage. With the PWD ‘fully loaded’ with several other projects running into several crore of rupees and is in shortage of technical staff, it was felt that professional services of the experts in the field were necessary for the smooth and timely completion of the projects.
The new consultants have been assigned the project management consultancy work at the rate of 2 per cent of the contract price and the same fee will be maintained in their role as authority’s engineer.
The government has felt that with S N Bhobe and Associates who are already the project management consultants they are the right firm to function as the authority’s engineer.
