THE 15-DAY deadlock between contractors and Lucknow Municipal Corporation boss ended with the former agreeing to abide by the corporation norms.
The contractors had been boycotting the tender process of nullah cleaning work to which the LMC reacted by deciding to allot the work to new contractors. The corporation boss even threatened to blacklist those who created hurdles in the working of the LMC.
The corporation decision to award the work to the new contractors shocked the old ones and the latter chose to agree the terms and conditions set by municipal commissioner. President of LMC Thekedar Association Ashok Kumar Gupta Tau said, “Contractors have agreed to LMC conditions and participate in the tender process.” Municipal chief held the negotiations with the contractors in front of media and made it clear that the LMC would not release any payment to the contractors without the physical verification of the site by the officials. The municipal chief politely but firmly rejected all the demands put forward by the contractors and asked them to ensure quality work if they wanted their payments released by the LMC.
“The contractors using substandard construction material would be sent to jail,” he warned and the contractors agreed. At last the ice between contractors and municipal commissioner melted after the delegation of contractors agreed to participate in the tender process of nullah cleaning work if their part payment was released after physical verification before Wednesday. Meanwhile, the municipal commissioner warned LMC employees working as contractors and said, “We are in the process of identifying those employees, surely departmental action would be taken against such employees who would participate in any tender process of the LMC.”