MARGAO
Can the Margao Municipal Council rush with its solid waste management projects to beat the election code of conduct likely to come into force anytime from now?
Or, will the civic body have to wait for another 2-3 months to take the projects to their logical conclusion till the election process is over early next year?
Well, most of the projects mulled by the civic body five months ago at the first meeting of the newly-elected Council on July 9 last are at different stages of obtaining approvals from the authorities. With the government and semi-government bodies barred from tendering works or issuing work orders to projects when the election code of conduct is in force, questions are raised in the corridors of the civic body that there isn’t going to be any changes on the ground vis-Ã -vis the solid waste management issues plaguing the city in the next 2-3 months.
In fact, hopes were raised at the MMC meeting held on July 9, the first meeting of the newly-elected Council headed by Chairperson Lyndon Pereira that many an issue affecting the city on the garbage front will finally be resolved after the City Fathers adopted a host of resolutions, but in vain.
Two 25-tonne bio-methanation plants at Sonsodo
It’s now over two months since the Margao Municipal Council had floated an Expression of Interest to set up two 25-tonne bio-methanation plants to cap the Sonsodo imbroglio. The proposal had evoked good response, with as many as five companies evincing interest to set up the project.
Proposals received from the five companies were later forwarded to the government-appointed technical panel for shortlisting the technology. Inquiries by The Goan have revealed that the civic body is yet to receive the go-ahead signal from the technical panel.
Civic officials informed that even if the technical panel sends a report on the two 25-tonne bio-methanation projects, it will take time for the civic body to kick-start the process of tendering the two projects.
“The civic body will not be in a position to float the tender for the 25-tonne bio-methanation projects when the election code of conduct comes into force. In the alternative, the civic body will have to knock the doors of the Election Commission to float the tender, a time consuming process,” remarked the official.
Tender to cart away accumulated waste inside Sonsodo
If the Sonsodo waste treatment plant is engulfed by fires almost every alternate day due to the generation of methane gas, the situation isn’t going to change for the better in the event the election code of conduct comes into force by year-end or early January.
For, the Margao Municipal Council has just completed the process to float an Expression of Interest (EoI) inviting bids from prospective contractors to take up the work of carting out the thousands of tonnes of waste accumulated inside the plant and remediate the same.
Officials in the know say that based on the offers received from the bidders, the MMC will take the matter to the next stage of preparing the estimates, before the project is finally tendered. “It is not possible to complete the project before the election code of conduct comes into force. Either the civic body floats the tender before the code comes into force or seek EC permission to float the tender,” the official informed.
Tender to outsource door-to-door waste collection
The election code of conduct may also affect the floating of the tender to outsource door-to-door waste collection. For, the civic body is yet to receive the notice inviting tender from the government to float the tender. Questions are being raised whether the MMC will be able to float the tender or take the work forward in the event the code of conduct comes into force in the next fortnight.
The Expression of Interest floated by the civic body to rope in a contractor to run the Sonsodo plant has not been taken to its logical conclusion. When the EOI was floated for the first time, a lone bidder had expressed willingness to take up the work.
Due to procedural wrangles, however, the bids were called again, with officials saying the bids will be opened shortly. Based on the bids, the MMC will float a tender to engage a contractor, with officials in the know saying the process may get postponed if the election code comes into force in the next fortnight, indicating plans to rope in a contractor to run the plant may see the light of day for the next 2-3 months.
