KOCHI: A row has been kick-started over the project to biomine the legacy waste of Kochi corporation. There are allegations that the tender conditions were diluted for the private firm to which the work has been awarded.
The contracting firm to which the work has been awarded hasn’t paid the security deposit, which is an amount given as a security for compensating liability, if any, made by the contractor.
Normally, the contractor will have to pay a security deposit while awarding the work. In the case of the biomining project, the contractor has not made the security deposit which comes to more than Rs one crore in advance. As per the tender conditions, the security deposit will be deducted from the running bills. Moreover, Rs 2 lakh which has been paid by the contractor as earnest money deposit (EMD) while participating in the tender will be adjusted to the security deposit.
The opposition alleges that the government and Kochi corporation bent the norms to support the contracting firm which is owned by the relatives of a top CPM leader. “The security deposit should have been made in advance. The state government and the corporation authorities bent the norms for helping the private firm in which the daughter of a top CPM leader is a director. It is a blatant violation of norms,” opposition leader Antony Kureethra said.
Though TOI tried to contact mayor M Anilkumar over phone to get his comment, he was unavailable. It is learnt that the mayor is in quarantine. Corporation health standing committee chairman T K Asharaf said he is unaware of the issue. Officials with the private firm to which the work has been awarded said they satisfied all the conditions in the tender. “As per the tender conditions, there is no need for making the security deposit in advance. It will be adjusted from the running bills the local body is to pay us. We have done nothing against the norms,” an official with the private firm said.
It is following the ultimatum given by the national green tribunal that the government and the corporation were forced to carry out the biomining of legacy waste which has been lying on the solid waste treatment plant premises at Brahmapuram for several decades. As per plans, around five lakh tonnes of garbage will have to be biomined. Once the legacy waste is biomined, around 15 acres can be freed and made usable.
A couple of days ago, the expert committee constituted for the purpose had given preliminary nod to the private firm’s project implementation plan. The committee has demanded certain clarifications and the firm would give it in a couple of days.
