MARGAO
Even as the Sonsodo imbroglio has come under the scanner of the Urban Development Secretary, the fate of the Margao Municipal Council’s door-to-door waste collection remains unclear.
On one hand, the civic body is yet to finalise the contractors for the collection of the waste door-to-door from Margao and Fatorda. On the other hand, the two-month extension given by the council to the existing contactors is scheduled to lapse by July end.
Given that the municipality has been dragging its feet to finalize the contractors and that no official order has been issued to the existing contractors to carry on the exercise till July end, reports did the rounds in the corridors of the civic body that the existing contractors may stop work from August.
Municipal engineers pointed out that the civic body had forwarded the bids received for the door-to-door waste collection to Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA). Sources, however, said GSUDA has returned the files to the civic body with reported directions that the decision may be taken by placing the matter at the council meeting.
What’s interesting to note is that the MMC had been giving extensions for the existing contractors on the plea the process of roping in the contractors via the tender is still underway.
On the other hand, while the existing contractors have been given a two-month extension by the council to continue with the ongoing work of collection of waste, sources said the two contractors have not yet been issued the order to collect the door-to-door waste to date.
This implies that the existing contractors have been collecting the door-to-door waste in June and July based on the council resolution, but without an order from the Chief Officer.
