Team Herald
MARGAO: It has been shockingly revealed that the agency appointed in Margao for pre-monsoon desilting works has several shortage including short supply of workers and vehicles.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
“Upon receiving information from some local people, we visited some locations where the removal of mud, excavated from the drains, was being lifted away. To our surprise we found a small carrier van, with two workers filling up the vehicle. Interestingly, one of the workers was the driver of the same vehicle”, said Savio Coutinho, former Chairperson of Margao Municipality.
He further questioned, “How can the Council accept a small carrier van, when a tipper truck has to be provided by the contractor?”
“We will be officially writing to the Margao Municipal Council seeking explanation how a tipper truck that is being paid Rs 6000 per day, be substituted by a small carrier van”, he further said.
Coutinho said through RTI, they have been checking the records of the workers provided daily in the 25 wards, by the two contractors engaged by the Council for the desilting works.
“What has been observed is that from May 18 till 17 June, each ward has been provided workers equivalent to 10 man days only; while as per the tender, each ward should be provided worker’s equivalent to 75 man days, upto July 2, being the last day for completion of the desilting works”, he said.
“This short supply of workers is also resulting in wastage of public funds on the trucks hired for the lifting of the silt”, Coutinho explained. “And this situation is giving further advantage to the contractor’s to use smaller vehicles or no vehicles, since the silt/mud removed is negligible”, he added.
The Margao Municipal Council had tendered four works for desilting of drains, and additional two tenders for supply of tipper trucks, with driver and diesel at the rate of Rs 6000 per day.
“If not for the monitoring of the works by Shadow Council for Margao, by now all the works would have been declared as completed and full payments would have been drawn for the same. It is now to be seen if the council prefers to extend the time limit beyond July 2, and make adjustments through manipulation, and show the works as fully completed”, Coutinho said.
