The Hindu 11.06.2013
UGD project: Corporation takes steps to cancel packages
The Erode Corporation has initiated efforts to cancel
two packages coming under its ambitious underground drainage (UGD)
project and served notices to the contractors who bagged them.
The move follows slow progress in the Package I and II, which were awarded a long time ago.
Corporation
sources said the Package I was awarded in January 2010 to lay pipelines
to a length of 201 km. The work should have been completed by January
this year. But the contractor who bagged the Package I could lay
pipelines only to a length of 85 km in three years, which was less than
50 per cent of the total work.
In the Package II, the
civic body had planned to lay pipelines to a length of about 110 km.
The work order for the package was issued in May 2012. But the
contractor, who bagged the work, had completed laying pipelines to a
length of just 2.5 km.
The slow progress in the laying of pipelines had left the residents in the town to face difficulties while travelling.
Trenches
were dug up damaging the road infrastructure and many of them were left
open. In a few parts of the town, the trenches were not closed properly
after laying the pipelines.
People and elected
representatives took up the issue with the senior officials urging them
to instruct the contractors to carry out the works quickly.
“We
discussed the issue with the contractors on a number of occasions and
urged them to speed up the works. But, there was little progress in the
two packages despite several requests,” a senior official said.
Councillors had raised the issue a number of times urging the civic body to complete the project quickly.
Mayor
R. Mallika Paramasivam admitted that the progress of UGD works was not
satisfactory and said steps were being taken up to cancel the contracts
and call for tenders to re-allot the works. “We have to cancel the
contracts because the progress is very slow. Officials from the
Commissionerate of Municipal Administration had already reviewed the
situation and we will soon get the approval to go for a re-tender,” she
told
The Hindu
.