PANAJI: The state-level monitoring committee for beach cleaning works on Thursday cancelled the beach cleaning contract with the companies namely M/s Bhumika Clean Tech Services Pvt Ltd and M/s Ram Cleansers and Developers Pvt Ltd, involved in the related works on beaches in North Goa and South Goa, respectively.
Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar, who chaired the meeting, told this daily that the works would now be re-tendered, to employ professional people/ agencies in beach cleaning.
“The beaches would henceforth be cleaned manually,” he added, stating that the Goa Tourism Development Corporation will henceforth supervise the cleaning of beaches by the selected agency or agencies.
Parulekar said the particular decision was taken by the state-level monitoring committee for beach cleaning because the scope of the previous tender had changed after commissioning of the solid waste management plant at Saligao.
“In fact, the scope of the tender had reduced due to this plant,” the Tourism Minister added, maintaining that as per the tender, the beach-cleaning contractors were supposed to dispose of the collected garbage themselves.
“However, now they were supplying the garbage to the solid waste management plant, after the commencement of this facility,” he noted.
The Goa Lokayukta Justice (retd) P K Misra in response to complaints as regards the beach cleaning works having been converted into “a multi-crore scam”, had asked the director of tourism to stop all further payments to the two contractors, entrusted with beach cleaning works in the state. The Goa Lokayukta had also directed the department of tourism to process the bills of the contractors only after approval from the secretary for tourism, who was asked to seek assistance from the officials of the directorate of accounts, if needed.
Furthermore, Goa Lokayukta has also decided to investigate the alleged beach cleaning scam while directing the state government to decide within six weeks whether or not to renew the contractors’ licences.
The next hearing of the Goa Lokayukta is slated on October 3 with the state government and tourism officials issued notices for their replies.
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, who had raised the issue during the recent monsoon session of the state legislative assembly said, “I had already brought it to the notice of the government that the scope of the work of tender had changed after the Saligao plant started accepting mixed-garbage from both beach cleaning contractors, and the Opposition had subsequently demanded immediate termination of the contract.”
Kamat also stated that mechanical cleaning was opposed by environmentalists, when a similar tender was being prepared during his government, further questioning as to why a beach cleaning contractor was paid for mechanical cleaning, when he had not used machines to clean the beaches.
NT Network Goa News
Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar, who chaired the meeting, told this daily that the works would now be re-tendered, to employ professional people/ agencies in beach cleaning.
“The beaches would henceforth be cleaned manually,” he added, stating that the Goa Tourism Development Corporation will henceforth supervise the cleaning of beaches by the selected agency or agencies.
Parulekar said the particular decision was taken by the state-level monitoring committee for beach cleaning because the scope of the previous tender had changed after commissioning of the solid waste management plant at Saligao.
“In fact, the scope of the tender had reduced due to this plant,” the Tourism Minister added, maintaining that as per the tender, the beach-cleaning contractors were supposed to dispose of the collected garbage themselves.
“However, now they were supplying the garbage to the solid waste management plant, after the commencement of this facility,” he noted.
The Goa Lokayukta Justice (retd) P K Misra in response to complaints as regards the beach cleaning works having been converted into “a multi-crore scam”, had asked the director of tourism to stop all further payments to the two contractors, entrusted with beach cleaning works in the state. The Goa Lokayukta had also directed the department of tourism to process the bills of the contractors only after approval from the secretary for tourism, who was asked to seek assistance from the officials of the directorate of accounts, if needed.
Furthermore, Goa Lokayukta has also decided to investigate the alleged beach cleaning scam while directing the state government to decide within six weeks whether or not to renew the contractors’ licences.
The next hearing of the Goa Lokayukta is slated on October 3 with the state government and tourism officials issued notices for their replies.
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, who had raised the issue during the recent monsoon session of the state legislative assembly said, “I had already brought it to the notice of the government that the scope of the work of tender had changed after the Saligao plant started accepting mixed-garbage from both beach cleaning contractors, and the Opposition had subsequently demanded immediate termination of the contract.”
Kamat also stated that mechanical cleaning was opposed by environmentalists, when a similar tender was being prepared during his government, further questioning as to why a beach cleaning contractor was paid for mechanical cleaning, when he had not used machines to clean the beaches.
NT Network Goa News
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