GMADA spends Rs 8.5 cr to plan city

This work,which was otherwise meant to be done by the Town and Country Planning departments of Punjab,GMADA and Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA),was outsourced to Singapore-based Jurong Consultants three years ago.

According to the agreement signed on June 22,2007,the private consultants were initially given a year but it took almost three years to complete the job,said GMADA District Town Planner (DTP) Gurpreet Singh,while justifying and attributing the delay to “lengthy procedure of preparing,approving and notifying the documents”.

Information procured under the Right to Information Act revealed that Jurong Consultants was hired for preparation of master plans for Mohali,Kharar,Banur,Zirakpur,Dera Bassi and Mullanpur local planning areas besides RDP of entire Greater Mohali area.

The consultant has prepared and submitted all the six master plans and RDP,following which it has already been paid US $ 13,96,500 while the balance payment of US $ 4,03,500 is yet to be made.

The expenditure raises eyebrows as there are separate town planning wings in GMADA and PUDA besides a full-fledged Town and Country Planning Department existing with the Punjab government,which are headed by separate chief town planners (CTPs) and comprise a number of district town planners,assistant town planners,town planning officers,town planning assistants,planners,architects and other technical staffers.

Though the posts of CTPs in GMADA and PUDA (post upgraded to senior town planner) are presently lying vacant,but when the work was outsourced and undertaken,these posts were filled. While the post of GMADA CTP fell vacant last year,PUDA is without senior town planner (STP) for around two years.

Instead of filling up the vacant posts,GMADA and PUDA,with the approval of the chief minister hired the retired CTPs K K Kaul and Rajinder Sharma on a annual contract of Rs 6 lakh. While Kaul,who retired as GMADA CTP was hired on April 22,as adviser (Project),Sharma,who retired as Punjab CTP was hired on November 5,2009,as adviser (Town and Country Planning). Both had to attend office for 15 and five days every month,respectively.

While Kaul was required to oversee the ongoing projects,town planning work and provide technical advise,Sharma was assigned to provide consultancy,advice,reports,evaluation in preparation of master plans and planning of projects. The additional charge of GMADA CTP was given to DTP Gurpreet Singh while senior architect Satinder Singh was assigned additional charge of PUDA STP.

Another advisor
GMADA has hired H S Johal as Adviser (Horticulture) on annual contract of Rs 6 lakh on May 25. Besides recommending varieties,specifications and distance between saplings to be planted in parks and along roads,Johal’s work requires preparing landscape of main roads and city entry points.

OFFICIALSPEAK
“There is an acute shortage of staff in our Town Planning wing,which necessitated hiring of private agency. Moreover,being international consultants,hiring Jurong was a wise decision taken at the government level. Similarly,retired officials were hired on contract to avail their expert services,which was essential,in different fields,” said Chief Administrator,GMADA,Vivek Partap Singh.