BMC scraps, re-invites ₹130-crore tender for Juhu, Versova beach cleaning

The BMC has reinvited bids for the ₹130-crore tender for cleaning Juhu and Versova beaches. Andheri West BJP legislator Ameet Satam has urged the civic body to expedite the appointment process due to the significant amount of trash accumulating on the beaches during the monsoon

Mumbai: The BMC has reinvited bids for the ₹130-crore tender for cleaning Juhu and Versova beaches. Andheri West BJP legislator Ameet Satam has urged the civic body to expedite the appointment process due to the significant amount of trash accumulating on the beaches during the monsoon.

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In his letter to civic chief Bhushan Gagrani, Satam referred to the new tender of ₹130 crore put out on July 19 and requested the BMC to execute it without delay and also ensure stringent conditions and transparency. The earlier contract was for six years from June 3, 2018 to June 2, 2024 also for ₹130 crore.

A civic official from the BMC’s solid waste management (SWM) department, when contacted, confirmed that the old contract was also around ₹130 crore. “In the earlier tender that was invited in March, there was a single bidder and the reason we scrapped it was because the offer quoted 1.8% above the actual bid,” he said. “We wanted competitive bidding as is the rule, and hence the tender was reinvited in July.”

Satam, who played an instrumental role in establishing the cleaning system for Juhu and Versova beaches, is deeply concerned about the issue, as are the local citizens who want to tidy beaches.

“The previous beach-cleaning contract expired on June 2, and in the absence of a contractor, the BMC has been carrying out the cleaning work as an interim arrangement,” he said. “During the monsoon, a lot of trash accumulates on the shore, polluting the beach and posing a significant threat to the ecosystem. Therefore, the BMC must put in place a cleaning system on an emergency basis.”

Satam also stated in the letter that since the BMC had been deploying labourers to carry out the cleaning work, it needed to consider handling the task permanently instead of outsourcing it. However, the civic official said that this could not happen. “We have currently hired NGO labourers and rented JCBs and dumpers,” he said. “But this cannot be continued because there is a different contractual agency for every piece of machinery, which becomes unwieldy. It is better to have one contractor who has all the machinery.”