Contractors reluctant to take up road works in local bodies in capital district

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With the Local Self Government Department yet to revise rates for civil works, contractors have been reluctant to take up road works in many local bodies.

In Thiruvananthapuram district, as many as 42 road works in rural local bodies did not have any takers despite being tendered thrice. The rates of Bitumen went up due to the war situation in West Asia. Considering the rising cost of building materials, the department had from May 2025 made effective a new schedule of rates as well as allowed tender excess of up to 10%.  Minister for Local Self Governments K.M.Shaji had last week said in the Assembly that the department is now considering a proposal of the Chief Engineer to permit excess costs in similar lines to the Public Works department’s order issued earlier. Contractors who regularly take up work under local bodies have been demanding a similar order for the past few months. Some of the major road works in rural Thiruvananthapuram, proposed to be taken up under the various panchayats as well as the Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat and some block panchayats have been pending for quite some time. These include works proposed by MLAs of the various Assembly constituencies in the district. 

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