MARGAO: Various non-government organisations (NGOs) met the Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Arthur D’Silva and Chief Officer Yashwant Tawde to register their protest against the hurried and suspicious way in which the MMC tendered works. They demanded that the tenders be scrapped as the value of the works had allegedly been manipulated to systematically bypass the procedure of e-tendering.
The tender for the Sonsoddo dump was also discussed. The bids for a tarpaulin cover over the existing dump will take place on July 10. MMC had estimated the tender at Rs 6.58 lakh, but the contractor had quoted Rs 7.58 lakh. Thus, the civic body is taking bids. Sources also stated that the contractor would need four or five days to procure the equipment and another eight-ten days to complete the process of putting the tarpaulin cover.
Activists questioned the delay over the same tender as it was the second week of July and leachate had already found its way into the drains. Incidentally, the council decided to convene an emergency meeting at the council hall on July 10 to discuss the garbage issue following protests by activists.
The CO and chairperson informed that the other works had been double-checked and then passed by the DMA. It is to be noted that the minimum requirement for the tenders to be awarded via e-tendering is that the cost should be above Rs 5 lakh. However, all 58 tenders were below that figure.
Chairperson D’Silva put the onus on the DMA by stating that he had no role to play in the tendering. He said, “The approvals for all 58 tenders are from the DMA and the rates are as per the GSR. We have a resolution of the MMC too. The technical committee decides how e-tendering is done. We have minimal role to play.”
“The file for the tenders was moved by my predecessor. Just to avoid duplication of works I had resent it to the technical section to check whether the works have been done. The technical section cleared the file and the DMA also cleared it. Please give me a complaint and according to that I will check for any problems”, said CO Tawde.
The tenders will be sent to the DMA in sealed envelopes on July 17 and will be opened on the same day. The NGOs plan to file a complaint and stop the works before they are tendered.
