Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Contractors, Corpn. reach accord

Special Correspondent

Pending works to be completed; fresh bids only after rates revision There is indication of delay in payment by the civic body

COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Corporation has reached an accord with the contractors carrying out road and other civil works in the city. The contractors had taken up road, drainage and building works for Rs. 10 crores and completed 80 per cent of these. They will complete the rest but will not take up new works until the Government revises the schedule of rates.

Meeting demanded

At the Corporation Council meeting on Friday, the councillors demanded an all-party meeting on Saturday to discuss pending works and the contractors' demand for revised rates.

Official sources in the civic body said on Monday that things had been resolved for the present but the Corporation was optimistic that the Government would revise the rates in accordance with the rise in the cost of construction materials and labour.

With pressure from the councillors, the Corporation convened the meeting of all-party leaders and office-bearers of the Coimbatore Corporation Road and Civil Works Contractors' Sangham.

Increase in cost

The contractors pointed out that the increase in the cost of materials ranged from 10 per cent to over 100 per cent (see table). The daily wage of a mason has risen to Rs. 250 but the Corporation's rate was Rs. 164. The prevailing rate for workers involved in road digging was Rs. 150 while the Corporation now offered only Rs. 93.50.

Bids not submitted

Sources said that while the councillors trained their guns on the civic officials, accusing them of delaying payment to the contractors, the Sangham tactfully distanced itself from the charges but clarified that its members did not submit bids for fresh works as they wanted an upward revision of rates. But, this was not the reason why the ongoing works had been stopped.

"Rain had stopped the works. They will be resumed soon," the president of the Sangham, M. Rajarathinam, said.

"But we will not take up advance works" (those done ahead of a VIP visit but without drawing up an estimate), he said, indicating there was delay in payment by the civic body and cost escalation during that period worsened the problem.

Though the contractors were firm on not taking up fresh works, the Sangham had offered at the meeting to submit bids for just bitumen topping for damaged stretches of the roads in the city.

"We will take up the tender on January 13," he said. But the contractors were still perturbed over the rise in tar price also.

Worry on delay

As for the rest of the works, the contractors were not willing to incur loss given the existing rates. They claimed that Mayor T. Malaravan told them that the Government was considering revision of rates.

The councillors and contractors were, however, worried that with the elections scheduled for April-May and monsoon from June, a delay in revision would hold up the works till next December.

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