The Hindu 01.08.2012
Civic body to revive Yanaikulam project
To go in for out of court settlement with contractor to resume work on commercial complex
free for all:Councillors speaking at the corporation council meeting in the city on Tuesday. —PHOTO:R.M. RAJARATHINAM
Decks have been cleared for the resumption of
construction of a commercial complex at Yanaikulam grounds near
Singarathope in the city with the corporation council on Tuesday
approving a proposal to go in for an out of court settlement with the
contractor of the project.
The project taken up from
Municipal Urban Development Fund has been in limbo over the past two
decades after the contract was awarded in 1991 by the erstwhile Tiruchi
municipality. The work was halted after the foundation was raised in a
portion of the project area after it was discovered that the site had
rocky sediments, requiring a specialised foundation structure. A
subsequent investigation by a private agency had suggested that the
corporation go in for under reamed pile foundation.
The
contractor had refused to execute the work within the project estimate
of Rs.110 lakh and demanded an increase in the estimate by 25 per cent
and extension of the contract period by 12 months without any penalty.
The contractor took to legal recourse after the demands were rejected by
the Directorate of Municipal Administration.
Even as
the litigation prolonged for years, there have been widespread demands
from elected representatives and service organisations in the city
seeking the revival of the project as a revenue generating measure for
the civic body. The Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural
Development had also announced in the Assembly recently that steps would
be taken to construct the commercial complex.
An
agreement was reached during talks between the corporation and
representatives of the contractor in recent months, according to an
official resolution tabled at an urgent meeting of the corporation
council chaired by Mayor A.Jaya on Tuesday. The contractor had agreed to
withdraw the cases provided the corporation refunded his deposit and
allowed him to enrol again as a registered contractor. The corporation
would refund the deposit after deducting the cost of the cement and
other raw materials that he was supposed to have handed over to the
civic body.
The corporation would now prepare revised
estimates and call for fresh tenders to revive the project. M.Mohamed
Mustafa of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and J.Srinivasan of
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam welcomed the decision and urged
the Corporation to resume the work at the earliest.
Later
at an ordinary meeting, a cross-section of DMK councillors complained
over the mobilisation of sanitary staff from the wards for the mass
cleaning campaign taken up at the initiative of Commissioner
V.P.Thandapani. They claimed that the campaign was not effective but
only deprived them of sanitary workers at the wards in the evening
hours. Mr.Thandapani countered the argument saying that the campaign was
being conducted successfully wherever councillors had utilised the
opportunity well. A section of councillors also complained of drinking
water short supply owing to problems in filling up the overhead drinking
water tank at Marakkadai.
The council also witnessed
a brief wrangling between DMK and AIADMK members after DMK member
Muthuselvam alleged that no development work was underway in his ward.
The AIADMK members contended that Rs.65 lakh worth of works were
underway in his ward. Even as the councillors were engaged in a tussle,
the Mayor adjourned the meeting sine die after passing the resolutions
hurriedly. The DMK members trooped out of the council hall and raised
slogans against the corporation.