Bengaluru’s ambitious Hebbal-Silk Board underground tunnel attracts biggest names like Adani and Tata; estimated cost…, last date to submit…

India’s top 10 construction firms sent their representatives to the pre-bid meeting.

New Delhi: Bengaluru, the capital of the southern state Karnataka and called Asia’s Silicon Valley, has been in the news for various reasons, ranging from water shortage to bad roads that do not befit a world-class metropolitan city. Nevertheless, the development work is going on there, and this time it is related to Bengaluru’s ambitious Hebbal–Silk Board underground tunnel.

What is the Hebbal–Silk Board underground tunnel project?

The proposed 16.75-km tunnel road that will connect the Central Silk Board to Hebbal has attracted 10 of India’s top construction firms. These include the Adani Group, L&T Ltd, and Tata Projects. The representatives of these firms attended a pre-bid meeting held at the headquarters of Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE) in Vasanthnagar on Monday, 4 August.

What is the role of B-SMILE?

B-SMILE is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) created by the Karnataka government to fast-track major infrastructure projects in Bengaluru. It had invited tenders to design and construct the three-lane underground twin tunnel road about three weeks ago.

How many companies have responded to the tender?

As mentioned, India’s top 10 construction firms sent their representatives to the pre-bid meeting held at the headquarters of B-SMILE.

These companies include the Adani Group, L&T Ltd, Tata Projects, Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd, ITD Cementation India, Vishwa Samudra Engineering Ltd, Jayashankar, Ceigall India Ltd, Afcons Infrastructure Ltd, and IRB Infrastructure sent their representatives to the meeting as well.

What are the terms and conditions?

This is being counted as among the first few steps, and it remains to be seen how many players will remain in the fray for the project, which is being taken up under the modified build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model.

According to the BOOT model, the construction companies are expected to invest 60% of the project cost (Rs 10,619 crore), besides depositing Rs 44 crore at the time of submitting the bids. In return, the government will provide toll collection rights for 30 years.

What are the main details of the tunnel project and tenders?

The estimated cost of the project is Rs 17,698 crore and has been divided into two packages: Hebbal Junction to Seshadri Road Race Course Junction (8.74 km) and Seshadri Road to Silk Board (8.01 km). The last date to submit bids is September 2.

Technical Director at B-SMILE BS Prahallad, while expressing satisfaction over the response, said, “Top construction companies have sent their representatives. Some have requested us to extend the last date for bid submission given the complexity of the project. They also raised queries about land allocation for debris disposal and the casting yard. We are confident that many will participate in the final bidding.”

The crux of the project

According to the source privy to the meeting, bidders sought more time, specifically to undertake geotechnical investigations along the proposed corridor.

Under the plan, construction companies are required to deploy a total of eight Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), each capable of drilling around 2 km per year. The three-lane underground twin tunnel road, which will have a total tunnelling length of 33.49 km, has already come under environmental, feasibility and technical scrutiny from different stakeholders.