Even after five attempts, the civic body has failed to get a single bidder for transporting silt from the roadside and minor storm water drains before the monsoon. Civic officials believe past de-silting scams may be the reason why they aren't finding any bidder.

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Since November last year, the civic body had to make several changes in the bid document to attract bidders for transporting silt from minor storm water drains. However, it still could not find a single bidder. "Taking a cue from past experiences, the civic administration has laid down some strict guidelines in the bid document to prevent any loophole that could give rise to further scams," said the official.

As per the Rs 3.5 crore proposal, around 65,000 metric tonnes of silt is expected to be transported from the roadside and minor storm water drains before the monsoons. "The major transportation work will take place before the monsoons. During monsoons, only a little amount of silt transportation work can be conducted," said the official.

According to the official, the transportation of silt from roadside and minor storm water drains should have begun from the first week of April itself in order to complete the job before the monsoons hit the city. So, to complete the work before Mumbai reels under incessant rains, all wards offices have been instructed to hire labourers from NGOs and start the work. "There is a lot of pressure to complete the work on time with limited manpower, to avoid any flood-like situation in the city," said the official.

He also informed that the civic body requires 3.7 lakh people to clean the minor storm water drains while 2.42 lakh people are required to clean the box drains and roadside drains.

The civic body expects to get bidders by May 3, the final date of submission. "Since we have made several changes, we expect to find bidders to take up the work this time," said the civic official.

BIDDERS NEEDED

  • Civic bodies fail to get bidders to de-silt drains even after five attempts and many changes to bid papers  
  • Ward offices have orders to begin work by hiring labourers from NGOs and complete it before monsoons