Civic chief lashes out as idle compactor at centre of political storm in Margao

File photo of the garbage compactor now sent to Bicholim from the Margao municipal garage.

MARGAO
The newly commissioned garbage compactor procured by the Margao Municipal Council from the GeM portal is yet to return to the roads till date.
In another development on the procurement of the three garbage compactors, Margao civic chief Damu Shirodkar has dared Congress leader Savio Coutinho to prove that there is corruption involved in the procurement.
Coutinho, on the other hand, has denied that he had made allegations of corruption against the MMC. He, however, demanded that the MMC and the government should order a probe into the company that has supplied the vehicle on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, saying that a preliminary inquiry has revealed that the company was registered just a year ago.
After days of lying stranded in the Margao Municipal garage after the garbage compactor developed a snag three days after commissioning, the vehicle has been sent to a garage at Bicholim.
Inquiries, however, have revealed that the garbage compactor has not been sent to the Bicholim garage for repair work, but to install a platform to facilitate municipal garbage workers to stand and take shelter on the vehicle.
Sources said the representatives of the Pune-based company have not returned after attending to the problem, raising a question as to whether the MMC had inquired about the provision of after-sales service.
While Margao civic chief Damu Shirodkar and MMC officials have claimed that the garbage compactor has been taken to a garage at Bicholim for repairs, sources said the compactor has been taken to the garage to fit the platform. The repair work will be carried out only after the representative of the company returns from Pune.
This has raised questions as to whether companies listed on the GeM portal are not mandated to provide after-sales service and maintenance in the city where the buyer has procured the item.
Meanwhile, Margao civic chief Damu Shirodkar has slammed Congress leader Savio Coutinho for raising baseless corruption allegations over the procurement of the garbage compactors. He has dared Coutinho to prove the allegations against the civic body.
Coutinho, however, maintained that he did not make any corruption allegations against anyone, adding that he had only demanded transparency since public taxpayers’ money amounting to Rs 1.41 crore has been spent on the three garbage compactors.
“Just because the garbage compactors have been procured on the GeM portal does not absolve the civic body from the responsibility of checking the background of the company supplying the vehicles. Our information has revealed that the company that supplied the vehicles was registered over a year ago. We want the MMC to come clear,” he demanded.