After the shelving of similar world-class road projects in Amritsar and Mohali, Ludhiana’s ambitious world-class streets project has gained traction, with a Delhi-based firm emerging as the lowest bidder (L1) for two out of the three packages under the Rs 165-crore project.The project, being implemented by the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB), aims to redesign and upgrade key city roads into world-class corridors with modern infrastructure.The project aims to transform 15 km of road space across 10 key corridors into user-friendly urban streets. The plan includes the development of 5.3 km of footpaths, 15.7 km of dedicated cycle lanes, and the plantation of 3,633 trees.Key stretches identified under the project include the Old GT Road from Sherpur Chowk to Jagraon Bridge, which is to be reconfigured for smoother traffic flow, and Ghumar Mandi Road from Fountain Chowk to Aarti Cinema, where pedestrian accessibility will be prioritised.Gill Road and Model Town Road are also part of the redevelopment plan. In addition, the 200-Feet Road (Missing Link-2, Part C) has been proposed as a major 200-foot-wide corridor to improve connectivity between Ferozepur Road and Malerkotla Road.As per official records of the 6th City Level Committee meeting held on April 16, financial bids for Package One and Package Three have been finalised.For Package One, with an estimated cost of Rs 65.19 crore, VRC Constructions (India) Limited quoted Rs 71.38 crore, around 9.5% higher than the base estimate, and emerged as the L1 bidder. Other bidders, including Ceigall India Limited and Gurbachan Singh Construction Pvt Ltd, quoted even higher rates.Similarly, for Package Three, estimated at Rs 48.91 crore, the same firm quoted Rs 52.66 crore, about 7.67% above the projected cost, again securing the L1 position.The competing firms in this package also quoted higher amounts, with bids going significantly above the base price.With this, the Delhi-based company has secured two key components of the project, while the tendering process for the third package is nearing completion.However, the higher-than-estimated bids have triggered concern at the top level. The Chief Secretary has sought a detailed justification for the increase of nearly 7% to 9% over the estimated costs.Officials said the issue was discussed during the committee meeting, where the bidder was asked to explain the escalation.In its response, PIDB officials have attributed the increase to a rise in construction input costs, particularly bitumen, along with an escalation in labour and material rates. They maintained that the bids reflect current market conditions.The minutes of the meeting also reveal that VRC Constructions has been directed to submit a detailed written justification for quoting higher rates. A virtual meeting was also held with the firm to seek clarification.To ensure transparency and public participation, it has been decided that before starting full-scale construction, a trial layout or design prototype will be developed on-site by the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana. This will allow stakeholders and the general public to visualise the proposed changes and offer feedback.