A Comproller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report for local bodies has said in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on May 15 that the Corporation of Chennai has exceeded the estimated cost to construct eight bridges between 2006 and 2012 by 17 crore and completed only three. A sum of 82.77 crore was allocated for the project, while 99.04 crore was spent, said the report for the year ended March 2011.    

It revealed how bad work practices and wrong conventions had resulted in a huge loss. On the tender process initiated to construct seven bridges at 41.61 crore in 2007, the CAG objected to the corporation's replies on the increased rate quoted by bidders. The work should have been awarded to the lowest bidder at the time of second tender itself, it said adding the reply was not "acceptable".    

Tenders for work on seven bridges were called in 2007, and the figure quoted - 58.52 crore, or 40 per cent higher than the estimated cost - was rejected by the Tender Award Committee (TAC). The second tender, quoted at 65.02 crore was also rejected. The project was finally awarded for 60.81 crore.