Tamil Nadu   

Resentment over single tender for conservancy work in Ambur

AMBUR: There is a lot of resistance from councillors and local social service organisations against the Ambur Municipality for accepting a single tender to hand over the conservancy operations in the town. The councillors and the social organisations want Collector Dharmendra Paratap Yadav to intervene and cancel the tender.

A cross-section of the councillors told The Hindu that the municipality’s Solid Waste Management department recently decided to hand over the conservancy operation in 10 of the 36 wards to a private contractor. Officials said a decision had been taken, as there was a shortage of conservancy staff.

But the councillors charged that the municipality had accepted single tender, based on the discretion of MLA Abdul Basith and Chairman Nazeer Ahmed. As per the agreement, the municipality would pay over Rs.2.25 lakh a month to the contactor for the work.

A representative of a social service organisation in Ambur said that as per the agreement, the contractor was required to employ 48 workers and two supervisors. Moreover, the conservancy operations had to be carried out twice a day. Further a separate guideline had been given regarding handling of hospital wastes. The contractor was also expected to desilt the drainage network and deploy men for door-to-door collection with a stress on source segregation.

As per the requirement the tender had to be accepted only from agencies, which had a minimum of two years of experience in collection and disposal of wastes. Ironically, tender had been accepted from an agency, which had no prior experience in conservancy operation, councillors pointed out. “It is a clear sign of deviation of municipal rules,” they added.

Councillors said that the municipality had called for an open tender, which was hosted on the municipal official website. But a single tender had been accepted. When the issue was pointed out to the Municipality Commissioner Sundaram reportedly said that he was helpless and would place the tender for Council’s approval. This failed to satisfy a cross-section of the councillors as they said that the Municipality Chairman with the support of the MLA would manage to get the approval from the Council in the last moment. Further the representative of the social organisation said that the contractor had already got into the conservancy operation without the work order being used. Interestingly, the private contractor involved in conservancy operation was also responsible for cleaning and maintaining the public toilets in all the 10 allotted wards.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Smuggled rice bags seized
Sand mining operations streamlined at Kaalur
Resentment over single tender for conservancy work in Ambur
Eye camp at Vaniyambadi
Three killed in accidents
Getting ready
Three persons killed in accidents
Teacher’s Day celebrated
Action taken
Four residents hospitalised
Admission to multi-skilled trade courses
Fourth Retail Book Mart opened
Sand lorry-owners warned against flouting norms
Neel Metal starts training workers
Roads are for the public, not publicity
Reservoirs have good inflow
“Power projects must be commissioned in time”
Thief chased and caught by resident
Plea to reduce liquor shops
Cell phones, dress code not varsity’s concern
Contractor alleges MLA’s interference in tender process
“Malnutrition high among students”
Rural women will get free ride for delivery
Students get trade training
Tuticorin port poised for handling more logs
Prisoner gives slip to police
Colour television sets distributed
Death of advocate condoled
Centre permits Tamil Nadu Government to import cement
Parking lot at temple site in disuse
Fill vacancies in schools, says teachers’ association
Fishermen stay away from sea
LPG connection eludes new customers
Plan to improve living conditions of refugees
A silver lining for micro enterprises
Awareness rally to be flagged off
Close encounters of a different kind
Mettur level
Police lay emphasis on in-house security
Making the ECR safer Law and Order
Police keen to crack down on forgery in the city
New post office
Study camp
Power shutdown tomorrow
Work begins
CPI defeats CPI(M) in by-election
‘Added value by means of differentiation must for long-term success’
Chromepet residents agonise over poor safety on arterial road
“State spearheading green building movement”
Camp for physically challenged
Nedumaran to take medicines to Sri Lanka
Four residents hit by leptospirosis
Sourashtra School makes rapid strides
Medicos form human chain in Madurai
Tablets concealed in air parcels seized
Karunanidhi’s help sought for airport expansion
Farmers’ appeal to Centre
NLC to pay arrears to contract labourers
Stone laid for cardiac speciality unit
Training for foundry men launched
Couple held for female infant’s death
Court orders reinstatement of dismissed FCI employee
Identify sender of telegram: court
Reinstatement of TWAD employees ordered
Veerappan aide held
BJP leader calls on Jayalalithaa
A meet to address the problems of leprosy-cured mendicants
‘Fairy Queen,’ a favourite of locomotive lovers
New syllabus for police academy trainees soon
Tamil Nadu Government seeks changes in Antiquities Act
Indian, American universities urged to work together
Left Front in West Bengal hailed as a role model

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu