MUMBAI: With the BMC clearing tenders for maintenance of parks and gardens to companies that have bid close to 40% below the BMC’s estimates, citizens groups have suggested that an ‘oversight committee’ be set up to review the works by contractors.
The BMC took over three months to decide on the low bids but finally gave in and cleared a proposal to award contracts worth Rs 69 crore to companies that have bid 40% below estimates. Despite scrapping tenders and forfeiting deposits of contractors for making bids 40% below estimates, contractors have once again bid around 40% below estimates in fresh tenders floated this month for maintenance of over 200 parks and gardens.
In a letter to Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Chahal, NAGAR, an NGO has recommended setting up of an oversight committee to keep a check on the work being done by contractors. “NAGAR would like to suggest that during the one-year tenure of the current contracts a mechanism of oversight and audit of these open spaces be put in place at the ward level.
This should include the formation of a municipal ward level committee comprising BMC officials, the local Corporator and neighborhood Residents’ Associations/ALMs. They should meet at specified intervals, say once a month, to check the state of the open space to ensure the contractor is doing his work as per the conditions of the contract, including the deployment of experienced staff. Residents’ Associations should be encouraged to be the eyes on the open space and give both positive and negative feedback to the ward office and the feedback should be reported to the Ward Committee for further action,” NAGAR said in its letter.
The letter signed by NAGAR’s Nayana Kathpalia and Meher Rafaat stated that the details of the contractors must also be put in public domain. “It is our earnest request to you to urgently put in place such a monitoring group to coincide with the approval of the tenders and the allocation of the public open spaces being handed over to them.
Such a ward wise list, including details of the allocated contractor, should also be put up on the BMC website for the information of all citizens who could then participate and play an important role in oversight of such spaces to the benefit of all,” the letter added.
