Ludhiana MC to table proposal at F&CC meeting today

 Blacklisting contractor For non-completion of Rs 1-crore project

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 3

As a contractor has ‘failed to complete’ the construction of parking lot and toilets for SCOs near Keys Hotel at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar a proposal to blacklist him for two years will be tabled before the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) during a meeting to be held on Thursday. The panel will take decision on various other proposals too at the meeting.

Even after five years, Rs 1-crore project of constructing a parking lot and toilets has not been completed till date, but the contractor has been paid Rs 59 lakh. Officials concerned claimed that they had issued notices to the contractor to complete work, but the latter did not respond.

The issue had come to the fore during the forensic audit of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation (MC). According to the forensic audit report, “No effort has been made by the department to instruct the contractor to complete work in time. No penalty has been levied on the contractor for poor quality work and delay in completion of the work. Therefore, Rs59.33 lakh expenditure incurred till date on the construction of parking lot for SCOs is unfruitful.”

Meanwhile, no official has been held responsible for releasing payment to the contractor concerned.

Construction of ‘Hadda Rodi’ boundary wall

The MC has prepared an estimate of around Rs49 lakh for the construction of boundary wall of ‘Hadda Rodi’ located in the catchment area of Sutlej River near Ladhowal. A proposal in this regard will be tabled before the F&CC on Thursday.

Questions are being raised as to why huge amount is being spent for the construction of boundary wall in the area outside the MC jurisdiction. “We oppose the MC proposal to spend on the construction of the Hadda Rodi boundary wall near Ladhowal. If there is a need to construct boundary wall, the Punjab Government should spend money. There is already shortage of funds with the Ludhiana MC for the development of city,” said Harbhajan Singh Dang, the Opposition leader in the MC.

Notably, Rs 7.98 crore is being spent for carcass utilisation plant under Ludhiana Smart City Limited. The deadline to complete the carcass utilisation plant is June 30, 2020.

Include opposition councillor in F&CC

The Opposition has demanded that the MC should include a councillor, who owns allegiance it, in the Finance and Contract Committee. “When the SAD-BJP had majority in the MC House from 2012-17, Balkar Singh Sandhu, then an Opposition councillor, was included in the F&CC. Now, Sandhu is Mayor. An Opposition councillor should be included in the F&CC,” said Harbhjan Singh Dang, an Opposition leader in the MC House.

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