Margao Municipal Council meeting deliberated on a host of issues, including the proposal to procure a JCB machine from the GeM portal.
MARGAO
The Margao Municipality seemed in a big hurry to procure a JCB machine via the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal when the monsoons have almost retreated, and the question of desilting the drains and stormwater nullahs may not arise before the onset of the next monsoons.
When the proposal to procure the JCB through municipal funds, estimated to cost around ₹40 lakh, came up for discussions at the special Council meeting held on Wednesday, 22 October, MMC Chairperson Damu Shirodkar was heard issuing strict instructions to set the process in motion from tomorrow itself after the Council takes a decision in favour of the JCB machine.
In fact, Shirodkar was heard instructing MMC Mechanical Engineer Rohit Gaonkar to ensure that he collects the minutes of the special meeting on the procurement of the JCB machine on Thursday and completes the process within the next 15 days.
While the Council gave its nod for the procurement of the JCB machine with the condition that the Council also appoint an operator and a helper for the machine’s maintenance, questions are being raised in the corridors of the civic body over the sudden rush to procure the JCB machine.
The argument put forth by the Municipal administration is that the Council owns two JCBs, i.e., 2DX and 3DX machines. While the 2DX machine was purchased in 2016, the 3DX machine was purchased in 2024, with the 2DX machine exclusively used for the disposal of wet waste and the 3DX for the disposal of dry waste at the Sonsodo site.
The official note stated: “This Council has 25 wards and there is a lot of work for which a JCB machine is required. There are also frequent requests from ward Councillors for the requirement of JCB machines. Since both the existing machines are continuously used at the Sonsodo site, the requirement of JCBs in various wards cannot be fulfilled. As such, the cleaning work gets hampered and ultimately, ‘keeping the city clean’ is not achieved. The Council may decide on the purchase of an additional JCB from the GeM portal and the requirement of funds for the purchase of the same.”
