Even God cannot provide government jobs to all says CM. But Vishwajit Rane can provide jobs to all from Valpoi and around!
In the past an MLA, who was considered as a public servant, involving in the upliftment of the down trodden, through welfare programs, saw people centric individuals getting elected. They ensuring basic amenities with employment and quality life to the society. The MLA representation was the politicians dream and the electorate ensured that a clean, public centric man was elected.
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As time rolled politicians assumed powers to loot, plunder, and promote the sycophancy in their constituency to develop “vote banks”.
Today, winnability is the buzz word and party loyalty has scant respect. “Aya Ram Gaya Ram” is the order of the day. Today the electorate is left in the lurch as the party in power purchases elected MLAs. Thus, the parasitic government formed misuses the power to loot, plunder, destroy and decay the public wealth, increasing poverty distress and unemployment and opposition parties are mute spectators. Even the judiciary, CBI, police and media are manipulated so that the destructive government remains in. Taking a microscopic view let us analyse how some MLAs including Valpoi MLA gets elected with a huge margin from any party ticket or as independent, party hopping with large margins even in the matter of days on diametrically opposing ideologies.
For the last decade for certain periods the Health Minister is same on different party and manifesto. We all know that staff to government services was mandated through employment exchange. The Minister of Health, started slowly appointing his voters from Sattari, Valpoi and surrounding areas. Considered as inefficient, PWD was removed from maintenance of health services, and then the work was allotted to GSIDC. Give a dog a bad name and shoot it – has been the modus operandi. Over the past few years the works like carpentry, structural steel, repair maintenance of telephones, painting, maintenance of DG sets, Transformers, HT, LT breakers and protection systems, HVAC, Firefighting, AC, internet services for GMC has been carried out by GSIDC in the interest of the public. For instance, the TB Hospital at St Inez was in dilapidated condition. It was repaired and renovated by GSIDC Ltd and the construction of a new hospital at Bambolim was kept in abeyance, saving the exchequer crores of rupees. GSIDC is a thorn in the flesh of the Health Minister, hence a private party is brought in lieu of GSIDC.
A new scam is brewing in GMC now.
Tender for facility management was floated on 29/01/2020 date of online application was 19/02/2020. The estimated amount is not mentioned. God knows whether technical and administrative approval is obtained. The tender submission date was 19/02/2020. Date and time of opening technical bid was 20/02/2020. However, the technical bid was not opened on scheduled date and time. Contractors who were present were told that the bid will be opened in due course. But, to utter surprise the technical bid was opened on 21/02/2020 without informing. In the tender qualification, conditions were inserted so that the favoured contractor could be appointed through selective elimination. Four bidders had quoted for the tenders, out of which two were disqualified. One contractor who had been carrying out the same job for last 7 years smoothly and without any problem, for the same institution on behalf of GSIDC was disqualified. The two contractors qualified are proxy contractors and both shares work in various hospitals with the blessing of the authority. The financial bids were opened on 17/04/2020, the Earnest Money Deposit of the so-called unsuccessful bidder was returned on 06/10/2020. Now the work is likely to be awarded at Rs 11 crores per year to the proxy contractor. The authority is vigorously following up the allotment process.
It is understood that the contractor who was carrying out this job has quoted Rs 5 crore per year. Besides the present cost of carrying out the job with judicious manpower is to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore per year. The difference is because, instead of 35 workers required for the job in the tender over 150 workers are specified. There is a provision for General Manager, Shift Manager, separate management fee is proposed. No qualifications are specified for General Manager, Shift Manager and technical staff. This contract is for 5 years which can be extended to 10 years with increment every year. This is a white elephant, and surely the tax payers will not be able to bear the burden. There is no material provided in the tender. The contractor has to procure materials and will be paid for separately.
In addition, the contractor has to appoint sub-contractors for carpentry, polishing, welding, repair/maintenance of telephone etc. For all these services the main contractor will be paid extra, looking at the size of GMC these works will cost minimum of Rs 20 crore each year. Besides who guarantees that all these works will actually be executed or executed on paper and payment is released actually. The certifying agency is vague.
This is not all. In addition to above, the main contractor has to approve annual maintenance contracts. Thus, this annual budget could be around Rs 40 crores. It appears that by eliminating GSIDC and appointing a contractor makes GMC a milch cow to be milked dry at the cost of society. What work 150 employees mentioned in the contract will do is a million-dollar question.
The staff employed in such a process doesn’t have to do any work and yet will get salary. The worker knows that job continues as long as benefactors gets elected, hence he and all his family members vote only for him and not for any party.
(The writer is a retired University Professor and an environmental activist).
