Blacklisted contractors under MCD scanner

They are using the names of their spouses to tide over legal hurdles. According to sources, contractors blacklisted by the MCD managed to get fresh contracts by registering as new companies in their wives' name. Neelam Pandey

They are using the names of their spouses to tide over legal hurdles. According to sources, contractors blacklisted by the MCD managed to get fresh contracts by registering as new companies in their wives' name.

HT Image

To curb this practice, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has now decided to ask contractors to furnish the names of their wives as well, besides giving details of the company registered under the names of their spouses while applying in the civic body for getting enlisted as a contractor.

In the past two years alone, the civic agency has blacklisted more than 20 contractors for carrying out inferior quality work.

However, sources said these contractors have managed to make a comeback by registering themselves under different names.

"Contractors, who have been blacklisted, register themselves again in their spouses' name. At present, there is no mechanism in place to check this menace. From now on, we will ask all new contractors to give details of their spouses while registering themselves to be enlisted as a contractor in the MCD," said a senior MCD official.

Jagdish Mamgain, chairman of the works committee of the MCD, said he had been receiving a lot of complaints wherein blacklisted contractors had been gaining entry in the MCD again.

"After getting blacklisted, the contractor simply registered himself by using another name. The company and the workers all remained the same. In such a situation what is the use of blacklisting them? They will continue to do the same inferior quality work," said Mamgain.

"Under the new system we will also ask the contractors to give details of their spouses while registering or renewing their applications."

The civic agency is currently reviewing the registration process of enlisting a contractor with the MCD. A meeting was held last week to discuss these issues.

Under this, the civic body is also planning to make the names of blacklisted firms public so that other agencies also become aware of them.

"A number of contractors don't have the required manpower and permanent staff due to which they are unable to execute the projects on time. We will now ask them to give us details of all their employees as well," added the official.