SMC divided on hiring consultancy services

SURAT, May 21: The Surat Municipal Corporation's hiring services of Tata Consultants and AIC Watson Consultants Limited to prepare a master ...

SURAT, May 21: The Surat Municipal Corporation’s hiring services of Tata Consultants and AIC Watson Consultants Limited to prepare a master plan for water supply and drainage respectively, has seen the civic body a divided house. A section of councillors find the report “no good” while a section maintains any civic body has to hire professional bodies for certain work.

Standing Committee member Bakul Patel points out that the corporation could have saved lakhs of rupees by utilising the services of SMC engineers instead of hiring consultants to prepare a plan. While claiming that some SMC engineers have been trained in UK and US, he questioned as to what was the use of sending them abroad if they could not even prepare a master plan for the city and the SMC had to hire consultants from other cities who were “not even familiar with the geography of the city.”

The corporation has to pay Rs 45 lakh to Watson and Rs 25 lakh to Tata Consultants.

Story continues below this ad

City engineer K M Parekh claims that the SMC has enough competence to prepare a master plan and its own designs. “We could have done what these consultants have done”, he asserts. He has, in fact, questioned the report submitted by one of the consultancies, saying “it deserves to be thrown in a dustbin”. He says he has prepared his own design.

On why did the SMC not ask its engineers to prepare the master plan, he says the body lacks a separate design cell.

Assistant Commissioner (finance) K C Mehta, however, begs to differ. “There are certain areas in which the SMC lacks expertise. Any civic body has to hire service of professional bodies, he says, adding the SMC has hired CRECIl, a rating agency, to “assess the corporation’s financial capability.” The Agency, according to Mehta, will examine SMC’s future plans, plans undertaken, its repaying capacity and risk factor if the SMC wants to float bonds.

Similarly, Kirloskar Company will suggest measures for octroi rationalisation. Such in-depth study can only be done by a professional body, states a senior official.

Story continues below this ad

And having debunked the Watson report, the city engineer has found himself in an awkward position. Committee members have taken objection to his remarks on the Watson report. Why did the SMC reserve 15 lakh sq mt land, for setting up a pumping station and treatment plants, after Watson submitted its interim report, they question.

A former city engineer, too, has come out in favour of Watson saying it is a reputed company. It must have applied its mind, while suggesting treatment plants and pumping stations, he reasons.

Parekh says the land reserved for pumping stations and treatment plants can be used for “other purposes.” But standing committee member Shankerlal Chevali says it’s not so easy. The land reserved for a specific purpose can be used for that purpose only, he states, maintaining that reserved land cannot be deserved.

It seems Municipal Commissioner S Jagadeesan and the city engineer will have to do a lot of explaining to do, as the standing committee is likely to ask for an explanation on the “shortcomings” in the Watson report.