Cuttack: The civic body has been able to bring down the bid for the five-year integrated solid waste management project contract by Rs 22 crore.

The Cuttack Municipal Corporation adopted the post-bid negotiation route as Metro Waste Handling Private Limited (New Delhi) had emerged the lowest bidder for the Rs 147.26-crore project with a bid that came on "over budget".

The payment to the firm, according to the contract, will be made on the basis of per tonnes of garbage collected and disposed of.

The everyday garbage disposal had been estimated at 200 tonnes.

The company had quoted charges of Rs 6,309 per tonne, which worked out to Rs 230.27 crore, marking an over budget of Rs 83 crore in five years.

Municipal commissioner Bikash Ranjan Mohapatra on Tuesday said that after the negotiations, the firm had agreed to charge Rs 5,700 per tonne.

"The lowest bid, along with the outcome of the post-bid negotiation for the contract, will be sent to the government within a day or two for approval," said Mohapatra.

Official sources said that though inability was expressed to settle with any amount more than Rs 4,900 or - at best Rs 5,000 per tonne - citing government objections to over budget cost during the post-bid negotiation, the firm had agreed to scale down its charge per tonne to Rs 5,700 and not less than that.

"It is now for the government to decide on the lowest bid for the five-year contract that has been brought down by Rs 22 crore," the municipal commissioner said.