MARGAO
A year after around 4,000-odd cubic metres of waste was carted out from the Sonsodo waste treatment plant and remediated, the government has finally accorded post facto approval to the Margao Municipal Council to make the payment of a whopping Rs 86.51 lakh to Ms Hindustan Waste Treatment Pvt Ltd towards the work of remediation and disposal of the Sonsodo waste.
The Margao Municipality, however, finds itself in a tight spot. While granting the post facto approval for the payment for the remediation and disposal of waste carried out last year, the Director of Urban Development Gurudas Pilarnekar has directed the civic body to comply with the codal formalities and financial rules, throwing up a pertinent question how come the civic body is following the tendering procedure for the work already carried out last year.
The Urban Development Director’s order has put the civic officials in a quandary. While on the one hand, the Director has given the
post facto approval for the civic body to make the payment amounting to Rs 86.51 lakh, the order ends with a direction to the Municipality to follow the codal formalities.
A senior official wondered how can the civic body comply with the codal formalities of a work already done and the Cabinet has accorded the post facto approval.
Margao Municipal Engineer Diniz D’Mello said his office is in receipt of the Urban Development Director’s order conveying the government’s post facto approval for the payment of Rs 86.51 lakh to Ms Hindustan Waste Treatment Pvt Ltd.
“We have nothing to say on the government’s decision, but the Director’s order makes a mention that the civic body shall follow all the codal formalities and financial rules under GFR and the procedure laid down by the government from time to time. When the work of remediation and disposal has already been carried out, there’s no question of codal formalities being complied now,” he said.
The Municipal engineer added: “I will discuss the issue with the Chief Officer. The matter will be placed before the Council for an appropriate decision.”
Just days before the first Covid wave hit the State last year, the Margao Municipal Council had on February 26, 2020 written to Ms Hindustan Waste Treatment Pvt Ltd, to undertake the work of remediation and disposal of the existing waste lying inside the shed of the Sonsodo plant as per the terms and conditions of the work and the rate fixed by the Goa Waste Management Corporation. The MMC had written the letter after the work received the sanction by the HPCC-headed Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
The company has raised an invoice stating it has remediated around 4,629.92 cubic metres of waste.
CABINET DECISION ON JULY 9, 2021
- Post Facto approval for award of remediation work at Sonsodo on nomination basis to Ms Hindustan Waste Treatment Pvt Ltd as decided by the High Powered Coordination Committee
- Approval for payment to Ms Hindustan Waste Treatment Pvt Ltd, as per the rate finalised by Goa Waste Management Corporation in the remediation work amounting to Rs 1840 per cubic metre
- Approval to make payment of Rs 86,51,453 to Ms Hindustan Waste Treatment Pvt Ltd by using the 14th Finance Commission of Margao Municipal Council towards the work of remediation and disposal of the waste at Sonsodo by MMC as per the work done and bills raised by Ms Hindustan Waste Treatment Pvt Ltd which is verified by the officials of the MMC
