the goan I network
MARGAO
Margao Municipal Council’s pre-monsoon works will commence in the commercial capital only after the first week of May with the Council resolving to float tenders to take up cleaning of drains and gutters instead of engaging daily wage workers.
The civic body has resolved to spend around Rs 24 lakh for the cleaning of drains and gutters, around Rs 9 lakh more than the amount of Rs 15 lakh sanctioned by the Director, Urban Development.
At a council meeting held in the chamber of Chairperson Pooja Naik, which was not attended by Chief Officer AjitPanchwadkar, councillors pointed out that the amount of Rs 15 lakh sanctioned by the Director, Urban Development will not be sufficient to meet the requirements in all the 25 wards, with the city fathers demanding that the additional amount on the works be spent from the municipal fund.
Given the decision to float e-tender to execute the works of cleaning the drains and gutters, municipal engineers said work will commence only after the first week of May. It will take at least 15 days to complete the e-tendering process, they added.
The MMC decision assumes significance since the Director, Urban Development, had issued an order to all the urban local bodies to dispense with the mandatory tendering process in view of the lockdown and engage daily wage workers.
MMC Chairperson Pooja Naik told the media that the civic body has decided to go in for the e-tender since the office administration had already completed the tendering process.
She said the office administration also felt that tendering was a way out since it was difficult to get daily wage workers for a minimum wage of Rs 323 per day.
