MARGAO
In a decision that has raised many an eyebrow, the Margao Municipal Council has on Thursday decided to rope in Kautilya Re-Polymers Ltd to handle the dry waste generated in the city without calling for codal formalities.
When the Chief Officer Rohit Kadam placed the proposal received from Kautilya at the Council meeting chaired by Chairperson Lyndon Pereira, the councillors were told that the company will carry out the work without any financial implications for the civic body. The Chief Officer further went on to announce that the company will not charge the civic body for power consumption, around Rs 50,000 per month.
Later at the meeting, the Council proposed to buy a forklift and other machineries, including conveyor belts at Sonsodo for dry waste handling, prompting councillors, including Ganashyam Shirodkar to question why the MMC should fund the machinery when the company had promised to do the work free of cost.
A councillor was overheard asking why the civic body is not calling for tenders, inviting bids from the prospective companies to handle dry waste.
In the proposal, the company has promised to engage around 40 workers at Sonsodo to handle the dry plastic waste and also transport the same to the cement factories. Chief Officer Kadam explained that the company will sign a MoU with the Mormugao Municipality and is ready to ink an agreement with the MMC if the Council supports the proposal.
The Chief Officer later told the media that the MMC would sign the MoU only if the statutory authorities such as the Goa Pollution Control Board gives the nod for the proposal.
Meanwhile, the Council has shot down another proposal moved by the Chief Officer to rope in a company to install GPS on the garbage vehicles to prevent thefts and misuse. While saying the charges proposed by a company are high, the councillor has told the Chief Officer to float a tender calling for bids from prospective bidders. The Chief Officer, however, asked the representatives of the company to install the GPS free of cost on a vehicle or two as a pilot project.
