Road-sweeping pact in Chandigarh not to be renewed

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 31

The five-year mechanised road-sweeping contract given to Lion Services Limited for the southern sectors of the city will not be renewed.

The Oppostion had always raised questions over a whopping Rs5 crore a month charged by the firm. The agency, which is also operating in Mohali, was awarded the contract here in 2016 and it expires in November this year.

Against the demand of a few BJP councillors, the MC House today decided to go for retendering expecting lower cost and better services. A few members also suggested the outsourcing of the entire city’s sanitation work, but no call was taken on it.

Mayor Ravi Kant Sharma earlier asked all councillors give their views whether they wanted the contract to be extended or wanted a new tender to be floated.

However, BJP councillors from southern sectors praised the work of the company and favoured the renewal of the contract for at least six months or a year due to Covid.

Councillors Rajesh Kalia and Gurpreet Singh Dhillon were among those who strongly favoured extending the existing contract. According to Gurpreet Dhillon, residents of the area were happy with the existing system. He said a new company might upset the current system. Councillors Hira Negi and Sunita Dhawan agreed with them.

However, councillors Maheshinder Singh Sidhu, Rajbala Malik, Anil Dubey, Jagtar Singh, Shakti Prakash Devshali and nominated councillor Shipra Bansal were in the favour of floating a new tender.

Maheshinder said there was no harm in floating a fresh tender as the city might get better services at a less cost. He was in the favour of outsourcing the sanitation work for the entire city.

Rajbala said competition among contractors was good for the MC and the city.

Councillor Ravinder Kaur Gujral said: “We are not bound by a company. Why should we stick to them when we can have new technology?”

Leader of the Opposition Devinder Singh Babla said they gave in writing that all five councillors were against giving the contract to the existing firm as city’s Swachh ranking had fallen. He accused councillor Arun Sood of favouring the firm, to which the latter said he was in the favour of retendering.

Babla also accused Kalia of sitting in the Lion’s office during the video-conferencing meeting today. However, Kalia claimed he was in his own office.

BJP president Arun Sood questioned two Congress councillors over recently giving commendation certificate to workers operating in the southern sectors.

However, amid calls by a majority of councillors against the extension of the contract, he also favoured retendering.

Ravinder Gujral said the appreciation letter was for workers who were toiling hard during Covid.

“We may like the services, but if it can be provided by other agencies at a better rate, there is no harm in trying new options,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Mayor told the House that it had been resolved that a fresh tender would be floated in this regard.