New firm to complete certain portion of Dimapur-Kohima 4-lane road

Oasis Technocons Limited awarded contract following Gayatri Projects Limited’s termination

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Aug. 11 (EMN): The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL) has informed that Oasis Technocons Limited (OTL), a Chandigarh-based construction company, has been awarded the contract to complete the “balance work” of four-lane Dimapur-Kohima road from design km 152.490 to km 166.700 (existing km 156.000 to km 172.900).

An NHIDCL official told Eastern Mirror on Wednesday that OTL will ‘replace’ Gayatri Projects Limited (GPL) which was awarded the contract in 2016 before being terminated in June this year over work delay, which was later upheld by the Kohima Bench of Gauhati High Court.

Following the termination of GPL, the NHIDCL selected OTL to complete the particular stretch of the four-lane road, after going through the bidding process and Central Public Procurement Portal (CPPP) ), which was done in Delhi, on lowest bidder (LB).

The Chandigarh-based construction company was awarded with an INR 111 crore contract for the “balance work”, the source said.

According to the official, OTL had told NHIDCL office that they would be able to establish its camps (on site) by the end of August. However, ‘we (NHIDCL) will have to judge their mobilisation and machinery in place, after which, it will set a date (of agreement) for works to begin’, the source added. 

Stipulated time for completing the “balance work” is 12 months but the corporation is pushing them to finish the work earlier than that, the source said.  

The official further informed that during the time between the termination of GPL and selection of OTL, NHIDCL had chosen a Nagaland-based company Vertex Construction to clear and maintain the (specific stretch) road for vehicles to ply during the monsoon season.

Meanwhile, Vertex Construction also informed this newspaper that they were doing “maintenance work” for about a month now. The company added that it was ready to ‘close down’ its works for OTL to take over once NHIDCL give its directive.

It may be mentioned that the NHIDCL in June this year terminated the INR 365 crore contract with GPL for construction of a portion of four-lane National Highway-29 that connects Dimapur and Kohima.

Following the move, GPL filed a writ petition before the Kohima Bench of Gauhati High Court but the court upheld the decision of the NHIDCL last month.

According to the agreement signed, GPL was supposed to complete the work in three years but it was not done two years after the stipulated date had lapsed.