NT NETWORK
MARGAO
The water that drained down from the huge heaps of garbage at Sonsoddo dump site after heavy rains on Wednesday night caused worries and anxieties among the nearby residents.
Though the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) incurs expenditure of Rs 3,500 per day to cover the waste with plastic sheets as part of pre-monsoon works, people allege that it is dilly-dallying on the work.
Chief officer Y B Tavde disclosed that the civic body had floated the tender which was opened on Wednesday adding, “There was only one bidder and the amount quoted was quite high and the bidder has been asked to lower it. The work will be allotted shortly.”
A senior citizen Anand Naik said, “If a lot of taxpayers’ money is used in covering the waste, why does the municipality wait for the last minute? And why is it that only one bid is received since last couple of years? This shows that there is some problem. The council should sensibly act on it and find out a solution once and for all.”
When asked as to how many more days it will take to cover the waste, Tavde said that the technical section looks after it. Last year, the civic body had tendered the work for Rs 11.5 lakh while this year, the quoted price is Rs 14 lakh. The council wants to negotiate with the bidder.