With no takers, Margao parking project in limbo

MARGAO: The proposed multi-level pay parking project of the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) is turning out to be a pain in the neck of the civic body. The fresh tenders invited by the municipality for the project estimated to cost Rs 5.5 crore has evoked no response, leading to extension in the time limit for submitting the bids by two more weeks.
The tenders were invited afresh in December last year after the contractor who had bagged the earlier tender showed lack of interest in executing the project and declined to accept the work order.
Prior to that, the project had mired in controversy primarily owing to issues concerning the goods and services tax (GST) leading to inordinate delay in execution of the work.
In order to resolve the issue, the MMC had referred the project to the PWD for advice on calculation of the GST.
Six months later, the PWD returned the file to the MMC providing it with the necessary guidance on the rates of GST on each tendered item.
While the MMC worked out the tax component for each item and sent the file back to the PWD for approval, the latter found errors in the calculations and sent the file back to the civic body to rectify the errors. Finally, when the file reached the finance department, it was realized that there was no tax liability on the MMC.
The municipality then reworked the estimated cost of the project and invited the tenders before sending it to the PWD for its approval where it lay for another four months. Considerable time was thus expended in correspondence between various departments, adding to the delay.
The amount of Rs 3 crore that the MMC had received from the government as golden jubilee grants on the occasion of the state’s 50th year of liberation in 2011 will be utilised for the project.
The remainder of the amount will be sourced from the unutilised grants the MMC has in its coffers.
The multi-level pay parking to be built over an area of nearly 5,000 sqm will comprise a basement and six floors. The topmost floor will house the pay parking maintenance unit while all other floors will provide parking facility .