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
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.
