MARGAO
Door-to-door waste collectors saved the day for the Margao civic body as they collected the waste in the commercial capital on Tuesday despite the fact that the Margao Municipal Council’s three-month extension for the contract ended on October 31.
The two contractors were reportedly told by the Municipal officials to continue the operations, promising that they would be granted three-month further extension at the Council meeting expected to be convened at the earliest.
The contractors are believed to have told the officials that they will not precipitate matters for the civic body by stopping the door-to-door waste collection. The contractor, however, is believed to have told the civic officials to take a decision at the earliest since they will be carrying out the work sans a council resolution.
A senior Municipal official told The Goan that the Council is also expected to move the Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) with a plea to work out a solution to the door-to-door waste collection. For, the last time the MMC forwarded the file to the government for approval in respect of the finalisation of the door-to-door waste collection contractors, the file was returned by the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) citing some discrepancies.
The civic body is believed to be making a monthly payment of Rs 30 lakh to the two door-to-door waste-collecting contractor engaged in collecting waste in the Margao and Fatorda areas of the city.
However, sources pointed out that the two contractors have got a couple of extensions from the civic body without the contract being tendered for reasons best known to the Municipal babus, only throwing up questions whether the Municipality can extend the contracts when lakhs of rupees are being paid to the contractors.
The Shadow Council for Margao, however, has raised serious questions over the practice of granting repeated extensions for the door-to-door collection contractors.
SCM convenor and former Margao Municipal Chairperson Savio Coutinho has demanded to know how can any Authority, including the Director of Municipal Administration give lame excuses that the illegal practice of granting extensions cannot be stopped since the waste collection is an essential service.
“As we have been consistently raising this issue for the last two years, nothing more remains to be said on the matter except that we sincerely pity the taxpayers and Madgaonkars in particular, for seeing reasons to be represented by the same unscrupulous elements who can do absolutely nothing for this city,” Coutinho added.
