Patna, Dec. 23: The civic body is all set to outsource the garbage disposal work of 62 wards despite its bitter experience in the past with a private firm.
Patna municipal commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pal told The Telegraph: “We have decided to outsource the garbage disposal work of 62 wards to a private company because the corporation does not have the resources to cart trash on its own. The tenders will be floated soon through Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo). We have already sought an expression of interest.”
The PMC’s empowered standing committee cleared the proposal on Tuesday.
“Earlier, a private firm was providing its services in select parts of the city. Now, we will hire services of a firm for a large part of the corporation area. It naturally means that we will have to shell out a huge amount of money every month,” Pal said, adding that the tender process would be completed soon and the agreement should be in place within two months.
PMC’s agreement with the private firm, A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited, for garbage collection work in the city went awry over the issue of payment. The matter is sub-judice in Patna High Court.
A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited suspended its services on July 21 after PMC raised question over its performance and bills worth Rs 7.6 crore. Later, a vigilance case was lodged against the company on charges of breach of contract and overbilling.
Officials in the civic body said the new contract would be given for the areas not assigned to A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited. The firm was given the task to clear garbage from nine wards and nine prime roads of the city.
Asked whether the contract could be awarded to A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited, Pal said it was an open tender and any firm fulfilling the criteria was free to bid.
Residents hailed the decision of PMC to outsource garbage disposal work in most of the wards. “The sanitation in my area is in a poor shape. PMC workers are seen only once a week. It will be better if the work is assigned to a private party,” said Savita Devi, a resident of Mandiri.
