MARGAO
E-rickshaws purchased by the Margao Municipal Council for cleaning of the city footpaths sans codal formalities have come back to haunt the city fathers, Municipal babus and the powers that be.
Purchased by the Margao Municipal Council over a year and half ago at a cost of Rs 8 lakh, the e-rickshaw must have been put to use by the company for a few days to clean up the city footpaths. Now, the vehicles are due for repairs and with the company abandoning the vehicles at the Municipal garage, the civic body is bracing up to carry out repairs of the two vehicles.
When the attention of Margao MLA Digambar Kamat was drawn to the e-rickshaws lying in the Municipal garage since they were purchased a year and half ago, the MLA said since the company has made a disappearance, the MMC will carry out repairs of the two vehicles and put them to use.
The question, however, remains unanswered “ how come the MMC purchased the e-rickshaws by throwing the codal formalities to the winds.
Inquiries by The Goan have only revealed that the MMC had issued a cheque of Rs 8 lakh to the company for the upkeep and maintenance of the vehicles. However, the civic body did not obtain the mandatory performance guarantee from the company. If sources are to be believed, the e-rickshaws were purchased by the civic body by throwing the codal formalities to the winds and by overruling the noting of the account section.
Sources in the know say that the MMC has now been left with no option than to repair the e-vehicles and put them to use for cleaning of footpaths. “There was abuse of power by the Municipal administration in purchasing the vehicles under the guise of upkeep and maintenance. The officials and the powers that be have gone scot free. Tax payers money is at stake,” remarked an official in the know.
