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Rodent control in secretariat: UP govt invites bids for selection of agencies
The secretariat administration department proposes to open the technical bids on September 27, though their evaluation and financial bids may take some time
LUCKNOW The secretariat administration department (SAD) has invited bids on GeM portal for the selection of agencies that will undertake the job of keeping the main buildings of the state secretariat clean and free them of rodent menace, at least for the next one year. The department proposes to open the technical bids on September 27, though their evaluation and financial bids may take some time.
Besides the Lok Bhawan, which houses the chief minister’s office and departments like home and industry, the agencies to be selected need to be deployed at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Bhawan (annexe), the Bapu Bhawan and buildings around the main Vidhan Bhawan complex that include Sachiv Bhawan, Bahukhandi Bhawan, Navin Bhawan and Adhikari Bhawan. The state secretariat department manages the cleaning of Yojana Bhawan and Janpath, etc, through its own staff.
“Bids have been invited on the GeM portal, with modified scope of work, to select agencies to be deployed for cleaning and rodent control work in four secretariat buildings. We will be focusing on rodent control work and have specifically added the requirement for cleaning of toilets using pressure pumps, anti-termite spray on wood work every three months and anti- cockroach spray once a week,” said a government functionary.
The Lok Bhawan is the newest secretariat building but is badly infested by rodents. Besides damaging the wiring, wood work and false ceilings, rodents pose health hazards as they bring risk of diseases. The secretariat buildings, which house offices and conference rooms, have traces of leftover food items that attract rodents via false ceilings or holes behind wooden panels.
Another SAD functionary said the secretariat department is spending ₹20 to 25 lakh per month on cleaning of secretariat buildings. Whether SAD would have to spend more or save money in coming months may be clear only when the bids are finalised. “If past experiences are any indication, we may get at least 100 bidders for every secretariat building. Most of the bids are rejected for technical reasons after being evaluated as per procedure,” said the functionary.
“Work related to control of rats, ants, cockroaches, lizards, insects and other living organisms that crawl, creep or slither will be focus area for agencies selected following bidding process,” he added.
A few years ago, a ‘bijjoo’ that sneaked into the Lal Bahadur Shastri Bhawan was found dead in the air conditioning tract, making work difficult there. Most of the secretariat buildings are badly infested by rodents while there are also complaints of cockroaches moving on tables.
However, UP Vidhan Sabha officers claimed the problem had been taken care of. “We have taken effective measures to deal with this problem to a large extent in the Vidhan Sabha complex,” said an officer of UP Vidhan Sabha.
