The Times of India                04.05.2013

PCMC issues show-cause notice to contractor to recover Rs 3.19cr

Sarang Kamthekar of Vidyarthi Sena on Tuesday said the notice was issued early last month, a few days before Shiv Sena corporator Seema Savale pointed out irregularities in the runninig of the project. Savale had demanded scrapping of the plant, which was set up six years ago at the Moshi garbage depot. Kamthekar said he along with Savale had been pursuing the progress of the project with PCMC's environment department since January 2013.

"We had sent letters to the department pointing out how the civic body has suffered a loss of Rs 3.31 crore in the last five years as the contractor had failed to enhance the plant's capacity to 25 tonnes per day. The department on Tuesday gave us a copy of the show-cause notice issued to the contractor on April 15. The notice states that the contractor had not submitted any action plan to enhance the capacity of the plant," he said.

Savale had earlier said the contractor was supposed to install a plant to process 25 tonnes of plastic waste every day. The corporation has given Rs two crore to the contractor and allotted five acres of land on lease for a period of 30 years at a nominal rent of Rs 1,000 per annum. However, the plant processes just 1.5 tonnes of waste per day.

The environment department had also sent a letter to the contractor in February, specifying that he needed to make efforts to obtain grants for the project from the Union government as per the conditions laid down in the agreement.

Sanjay Kulkarni, executive engineer, environment cell, said: "The contractor was directed to reply to the notice within seven days, but he has not replied so far. The contractor has also been directed to increase the plant's capacity to 25 tonnes per day, but to no avail. Action will be taken against the contractor for not following the orders."

The civic body , in January 2007, had taken a decision to implement the project for disposal of plastic waste in January 2007. The contractor was supposed to install a processing plant of 25 tonnes capacity. The contractor was also given Rs 2 crore and allotted five acres of land on lease for 30 years at a nominal annual rent of Rs 1,000.