During a general board meeting of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Tuesday, opposition members raised significant objections regarding the Subhash Bridge project. They claimed that the Rs 241 crore contract was awarded to a firm that had previously been blacklisted. The opposition alleged that this decision circumvented competitive bidding processes, potentially leading to substantial cost overruns on the project.
He claimed the project cost is now set to cross Rs 300 crore following a post-approval decision to fully demolish the old structure instead of merely renovating it. In a recent standing committee meeting, approval was granted for a Rs 241-crore expenditure alongside provisions for price escalations on steel, cement, and labour, with a 24-month deadline set for completion. The 453.8m long and 12.9m wide Subhash Bridge was built by AMC in 1973. It was urgently closed to traffic on Dec 4, 2025, after cracks were reported.
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Ahmedabad | Silver Rate in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad | Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Petrol Price in Ahmedabad | Diesel Price in Ahmedabad | CNG Price in Ahmedabad | LPG Price in Ahmedabad Stay updated with the latest Ahmedabad news. Raising the issue in the board, Congress councillor Shehzad Khan Pathan alleged that the civic body deliberately ignored a competing bid to favour the contractor. “Rules were bypassed solely to benefit a single controversial contractor who was blacklisted in the past. Even though another firm submitted a bid, the tender was sanctioned without even opening the rival price bid,” Pathan alleged, demanding a written guarantee that AMC would not release a single rupee beyond the approved cost. Pathan further charged that the civic body used a predetermined modus operandi: first awarding the work through an uncompetitive process and later granting cost escalations under the pretext of changing the project scope from renovation to full reconstruction. The allegations come as AMC carries out the phased demolition of the dilapidated Subhash Bridge to make way for a new eight-lane portal frame structure. The bridge’s foundation and the superstructure were inspected by experts. Download the TOI App.