The stretch from NCPA to B R Tambe Chowk, near Walkeshwar, known as Queen's Necklace, was to have been concretized, but after a recommendation by the statutory technical advisory committee, BMC went in for mechanized mastic asphalt.
The proposal was cleared last year and a work order was issued in January 2014. The work completion period is 10 months, excluding the monsoon, but work has not started even after eight months.
The reason for cost-escalation is work has been added to the original plan. "The operation and maintenance department has suggested that work on the storm water drain has to be done on a priority basis as old drains could cave in," said Ashok Pawar, chief engineer, BMC's road department.
He said that work will start in October.
But experts said lack of coordination between departments has led to confusion and cost-escalation. "Priority sho-uld have been given to the storm water drains. If it was planning some road work, the department should have thought of all aspects before allotting he work," said former deputy municipal commissioner Prakash Sanglikar.
Corporators too criticized the lack of planning. "BMC should have been carried out a detailed survey of underground utilities before allotting work," said Rais Shaikh, Samajwadi Party corporator and civic standing committee member.
"The cost of the storm water drain work may escalate again," Sanglikar said.
A portion of the busy Marine Drive stretch had caved in near Birla Kreeda Kendra, Girgaon Chowpatty, last September, after a water pipeline burst beneath the road.
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