TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Has the river Sal near Khareband bridge been de-silted and cleared of vegetation as part of pre-monsoon works this year? The thick vegetation cover in the river doesn’t indicate so.
Information dished out by the Water Resources Department, however, shows that not only work of de-silting had commenced in March this year, but the entire work amounting to over Rs nine lakh stands completed last month.
Even the completion certificate has certified that work has been physically completed on April 4, 2014 and the contractor has cleared off the material from the site.
The WRD has prepared two bills – Rs 4.96 lakh and Rs 4.76 lakh – being the amount for the de-silting work carried out by the department this year.
The RTI information has raised many an eyebrow amongst rival contractors and local citizens alike since no de-silting work was undertaken in the river
this year.
When Herald contacted Executive Engineer Peter D’Souza to throw light on the de-silting project, he denied that any such work was taken up by the WRD this year.
He, however, said the two bills had been prepared by the department to clear payments of last year’s works carried out by the WRD by inviting quotations.
He said that no payment has been done to the contractor for executing last year’s work, and the matter has been forwarded to the Chief Engineer, WRD for approval.
Replying to a question, he said last year’s bills have been pending since neither the disaster management agency, South, nor Margao Municipal Council were willing to make payments.
D’Souza admitted that the WRD had initially tendered the de-silting work, but it was scrapped after the then district collector called for expediting the de-silting work before the onset of monsoons.
“We were left with no option than to go in for quotations to carry out the work amounting to over Rs 9.50 lakh”, he said.
