Roads committee grounds proposal to fill up trenches

Accordingly, on July 10, 1997, 69 applications were received from contractors registered with the corporation. The first five lowest tenders were approved, and the contract amount for all three divisions of the city, western and eastern suburbs totalled Rs 22 crore.

The administration contended that since 80 per cent of the work was complete, the remaining payment should be made to the contractors. Fearing that the contract cost may exceed the estimated cost by 50 per cent, officials sought the committee’s nod.

Congress corporator Baba Siddiqui objected to the proposal, saying though just 20 per cent of the work was left to be completed, the proposal violated basic principles and could not be brought in hurriedly. “Since the Mayor-in-Council has been dissolved by the State Assembly, where is the need to bring in the proposal now? No decision should be taken at the last minute. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation should wait for the new system to take place and then seek sanction,” he said.

Added Samajwadi Party corporator Ehsanullah Khan, payment of the proposal, which had been sanctioned by the erstwhile Standing Committee, has surfaced after 15 months. “There have been several complaints of shoddy work undertaken by contractors. An inquiry should be held,” he suggested.The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Vithal Kharatmal said, “Since nearly 90 per cent of the payment had been sanctioned by the former Standing Committee. What was the need to delay it and table it in the committee’s last meeting?” Even ruling Sena members concurred, saying the work by the contractors was far from satisfactory and that there was no need to hurry with the payment. The committee, headed by Suhasini Parab, postponed taking any decision on the proposal. It has now been referred to the Standing Committee that will be constituted in the new set-up.

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