MARGAO
As curtains came down on the government-sponsored Carnival festivities in the commercial capital, the Margao Municipal Council should hopefully get down to the brass tacks “ how to go about with the contentious issue of finalizing the bio-methanation plant tender.
Against the backdrop of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s assurance on the floor of the House that he would take a call on the fate of the bio-methanation plants, many might have thought that the Margao Municipality will keep the tendering process of the three bio-methanation plants on hold.
Notwithstanding the CM’s promise to convene the meeting of the High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) by February 10 to decide the entire gamut of issues concerning the bio-methanation plants, the Margao municipality seems to have now resolved to go ahead with the opening of the financial bids.
The Goan understands that the MMC has sent a communique to the seven bidders for the three bio-methanation plants that the financial bids will be opened later this week, indicating that the civic body is going ahead with the finalization of the bio-methanation tender for the three plants.
An MMC official told The Goan that after the financial bid is opened by the civic body, the council will have to seek the nod from the government for the tender approval. “The MMC had opened the technical bids from the prospective contractors after seeking the technical sanction from the government. The financial bid will be opened on Thursday-Friday and the communique has already gone to the seven bidders,” the official informed.
Margao Municipal Council Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes had last week told the media that since the civic body is busy preoccupied with the organization of the government-sponsored Carnival float parade, it will deal with the bio-methanation tender by next week.
While the MMC is free to open the financial bid as part of the tendering process, questions are being raised by the opposition whether it is prudent to finalize the tender for the three bio-methanation plants when the Chief Minister had promised on the floor of the House to take a holistic decision whether to go for the three plants or seven plants as mooted by Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) headed by Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo.
Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai questioned the propriety of the government in permitting the MMC to go ahead with the bio-methanation tender when the Chief Minister gave an assurance on the floor of the House to resolve all issues concerning these plants by convening the HPCC meeting.
“Is there no respect for the decision taken by the Chief Minister on the floor of the House that he would convene the HPCC meeting to resolve the issue,” Sardesai said while demanding to know the haste with which the MMC and the government are going ahead with the finalization of the bio-methanation tender.
