MARGAO
While there’s been no takers for tenders floated by the civic body to engaged labourers to carry out the pre-monsoon works, plans by the civic body to invite quotations asking contractors to supply labourers has raised many an eyebrow in the corridors of the Civic body.
While the municipal technical section had invited quotations from prospective contractors for supply of labour, Chief officer Y B Tawde raised a query whether the civic body can invite quotations for a job running into lakhs of rupees.
Given the situation, municipal engineer Surendra Gaonkar maintained that his office will seek directions from the Director of Municipal Administration whether the Civic body can engaged labourers via quotations worth lakhs of rupees when the municipality is duty bound to float tenders for works worth over Rs 50,000. Chief Officer Tawde informed that the municipality had floated the tender worth Rs 14 lakh for pre-monsoon works on more than one occasion, but in vain. “We are helpless because labourers do not want to take up the job at a daily wage of Rs 323. The municipality has drawn attention of the DMA’s office to the problems faced by the civic body when labourers do not want to take up work for a paltry wage of Rs 323,” Tawde added.
