MARGAO: The tyranny of the Margao Municipality and the former contractor Bhargava Facilities for Garbage Collection reached deplorable levels after the labourers employed by the contractor are now forced to live on the railway station with a platform ticket.
The poor labourers, who have no money to pay for the rent, were evicted from the house they were staying. They were never paid for the dirty work they did for several months in Margao. Ironically, sources suggest that the MMC has without due process hired the contractor who was being probed for defrauding the MMC a couple of years back.
The Margao Municipal Council and Bhargava Facilities Pvt Ltd the contractor appointed for garbage collection have not paid the wages to the labourers and the services of the contractor have been terminated already.
The labourers and the supervisors who called the manager and director of the Bhargava Facilities Pvt Ltd, allegedly told the labourers “to go to hell with their demand” and have refused to pick their calls. “Our kids are left to starve. We don’t have a shelter anymore. Is this what we get for our honest services of collecting garbage?” asked Sujit, a supervisor from the group.
All said and done the MMC has now hired back Bapu Environmental Social Service Organisation, sources inform on the influence of a former Councillor of MMC. Ironically, the Fatorda Police have been investigating the Bapu Environmental Social Service Organisation following a complaint lodged by Margao Municipal Council CO Johnson Fernandes accusing it of seeking to defraud the council and cause loss to it.
The MMC had entered into a memorandum of understanding with Bapu Environmental Social Service Organisation on November 15, 2017, whereby the organisation would provide 45 workers to collect the garbage in ward Nos 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the council.
The Chief Officer of MMC then has been on record that the organisation submitted a bill for 45 workers from September 27 to 30 and also for the month of October when, in reality, the workers provided were only 31. “This was done with intent to defraud the council and misappropriate funds,” he had said.
While the amount payable for the 31 workers amounted to Rs 10.23 lakh the bill submitted was for an amount of Rs 14.85 lakh which was Rs 4.62 lakh more than the amount payable.
Sources suggest that the MMC has gone one step ahead and has repaid the outstanding dues to the Bapu Services and hired him back on the job.
