BMC goes soft on blacklisted contractors for trash clean-up

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) seems to have different yardsticks for different contractors guilty of the same offence.

Barely 20 days after the standing committee rejected proposals for providing garbage-carrying vehicles, the civic body has once again come up with the same proposal, justifying its decision with different clarifications this time around.

 However, the move is likely to stoke a major controversy again.

The BMC had tabled proposals for appointing contractors to provide garbage-carrying vehicles in different areas of the city for a period of seven years. However, the civic standing committee on March 7 shot down the proposals, alleging that the task was assigned to contractors accused of carrying debris in their vehicles last year.

According to tender terms and conditions, if a contractor is found carrying debris in his vehicle five times, he stands blacklisted. But the condition has been tweaked in case of tenders allotted for D and E wards. The contract has been awarded to Clean Harbours, one of whose partners, MK Enterprises, was caught carrying debris in its vehicles five times. Notwithstanding, the BMC has spared the contractor from being blacklisted. A statement issued by the civic administration read, “During the detailed probe, it was found that the contractor did not benefit financially as there was no increase in the weight of the vehicles due to the debris. Hence, he was not blacklisted, though a fine was slapped .”