The Hindu 19.02.2010
Coimbatore Corporation plans to buy road sweeping machines
Special Correspondent
Some councillors sore over rejection of local firm’s bids
Commissioner stands firm citing rules violation
COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Corporation plans to buy vehicle mounted sweeping machines to remove garbage and mud that accumulate on roads. This is part of the Rs.96-crore Integrated Solid Waste Management Programme being implemented by the civic body.
Apart from garbage removal, the Corporation wants to provide safety on roads by removing the mud. The resolution to approve this proposal, however, ran into some resistance from a section of the councillors at the Corporation Council’s meeting on Thursday. The opposition was on rejecting the bid of a Coimbatore-based company.
When the councillors said that only a local company could provide good after sales service, Commissioner Anshul Mishra explained that the local firm’s bid was rejected as it had violated tender conditions.
One of the conditions was that the sweeper equipment should be an imported one and it could be mounted on the chasis of an Indian vehicle. The other condition was that companies that were either manufacturers or authorised dealers could submit tenders. The Coimbatore-based company first submitted bids as the dealer in India of a mechanised sweeper made in Australia. Later, the firm submitted a letter stating that it would manufacture the equipment here itself. This amounted to violation of the tender condition and therefore the company’s bids were rejected.
Leader of the Opposition V.N. Udayakumar, Congress Floor Leader R.S. Thirumugham and Congress member V.K.S.K. Senthilkumar were among those who demanded that the local company could be allowed to provide the equipment.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) member C. Padmanabhan was in favour of inviting fresh bids. The Commissioner said he was not in favour of this as re-tender meant wasting precious public funds. “It will be against public interest,” the Commissioner said.
When the pressure for deferring the resolution on the proposal mounted, the Commissioner told the councillors: “Do not defer the resolution. Either accept it or reject it.” He pointed out that already time and money had been wasted on inviting bids for a second time.
When the councillors appeared to opt for rejection, the Commissioner said he would refer the proposal to the Government for its decision. Mr. Mishra added that the Coimbatore company could be even blacklisted.
