Sonsodo: high-powered panel to take final call on consultant

Sonsodo: high-powered panel to take final call on consultant
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, SEPT 25
Sorry, Margao Municipal Council. The High-Powered Committee headed by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat will take a final call on the appointment of a consultant to monitor work on the installation of the waste processing and disposal facility at Sonsodo.
At a meeting of the high-powered committee headed by the Chief Minister, it was decided that the Margao Municipality should continue the process of holding pre-bid meeting with the consultants, but made it clear that the final decision to appoint the consultant would rest with the Committee.
Urban Development Minister, Joaquim Alemao, MLA Damu Naik, MMC Chairperson Savio Coutinho, MMC CO Prasanna Acharya, outgoing CO Y B Tawde, Chief Secretary Sanjay Srivastava, Chief Engineer Rego were present for the meeting.
Sources in the know said the high-powered committee deliberated on the MMC’s process inviting Expression of Interest to appoint the consultant to monitor the installation of the waste processing facility. Committee members were of the opinion that it would set a bad precedent if the Expression of Interests is scrapped midway through the process.
Hence, it was decided to ask the Civic body to continue with the process of holding pre-bid meet with the consultants and open the RFP before submitting the documents to the High-Powered Committee for a final decision.
The Civic body had called the pre-bid meet with the four consultants on August 3, but was abruptly cancelled at the eleventh hour allegedly at the behest of the High-Powered Committee.
A total of four outstation professional consultants had responded to the Request for Proposal (RFP) invited by the Margao Municipality to monitor the construction of the landfill carried out at the garbage dump site in accordance with the MSW (Management & Handling) Rules 2000 and to certify successfully the work at the site.
Besides, Ahmedabad-based P U Asnani, Hyderabad-based Ramky Enviro Engineering Ltd, Senes and Aecom had responded to the RFP, sources in informed.
Of the two consultants, Ramky Enviro Engineering Ltd had lost the bid to Fomento to set up the waste treatment facility at Sonsodo, while the Ahmedabad-based consultant P U Asnani had decided in favour of Fomento at the time of evaluation of financial and technical bids.
Incidentally, a prominent member of the high-powered committee spoke openly in favour of P U Asnani for appointment as the consultant to monitor the plant installation work, without realisation that the same Asnani had ruled in favour of Fomento while evaluating the bids.