Allottees upset as BDA issues single tender for asphalting six blocks of NPKL within two years

Site allottees of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout (NPKL) are up in arms over the Bangalore Development Authority’s (BDA) issuance of single tender for asphalting of all roads in six blocks of the layout. They argue that this move will lead to unnecessary delays.

Site allottees of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout (NPKL) are up in arms over the Bangalore Development Authority’s (BDA) issuance of single tender for asphalting of all roads in six blocks of the layout. They argue that this move will lead to unnecessary delays.

The newly-floated tender covers Blocks 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, and 9, with completion period stipulated as 24 months. Allottees, however, find this timeline unjustifiable, especially since BDA has repeatedly claimed that 80% of the infrastructure work is already complete.

Suryakiran A.S. of NPKL Forum said that a key concern is the inefficiency of a single contract for such a vast area. He argued, “If BDA had opted for multiple tenders — one for each block — different agencies could have worked simultaneously, completing the asphalting work in as little as four to five months. Instead, the single-tender model risks extending the project unnecessarily, delaying site handovers even further.” He added that completion may go beyond two years. 

The frustration is further fueled by the recent history of failures in NPKL’s asphalting projects. In December 2022, BDA floated three separate tenders for Blocks 5, 6, and 7, with agencies engaged by February 2023. However, even after more than a year, work in these blocks remains incomplete. It seems to be happening sequentially rather than simultaneously, significantly slowing down progress, preventing allottees from constructing homes, he said.

Adding to these concerns is the inconsistency in BDA’s approach. A contrasting example is the Dr. Shivaram Karanth Layout, where nine agencies were assigned to different blocks, ensuring faster completion. In NPKL, however, BDA initially opted for a two-agency model and has now shifted to a single-agency approach for six blocks, raising questions about the logic behind such an inefficient strategy, another allottee said.  

A senior BDA official said the authority maintained that a single tender approach is doable for NPKL and hence decided on the same. The allottees may have some concerns, but the BDA will ensure speedy completion of the works, he assured.