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KMC departmental construction unit set up
WORK BOYCOTT by the contractors has forced the KMC municipal commissioner to set up a departmental construction unit to initiate some development work.
WORK BOYCOTT by the contractors has forced the KMC municipal commissioner to set up a departmental construction unit to initiate some development work.
It is pertinent to mention that the development work could not be taken up following work boycott call by the contractors for the last few months. It was because of this that the Municipal Corporation was forced to start drainage cleaning work through departmental procedure.
The contractors have been on work boycott call in support of their initial demands to increase the limit of the contractors under ‘Super A’ category from Rs 17.5 lakh to Rs 30 lakh. No sooner than the additional municipal commissioner I Captain R Vikkram Singh took over as officiating municipal commissioner, he conceded to their demands and increased the limit.
However, the contractors then started demanding payment of their dues and said that the work would began only after the pending bills were cleared.
Fed up with the continuing work boycott call and as a face saving that development work was not getting hampered, the municipal commissioner Badal Chatterjee today ordered for the formation of the departmental construction unit (DCU).
Executive engineer Hariram would head the seven-member unit while the rest of the members would include few assistant engineers, junior engineers along with accounts department officials.
According to the KMC officials, the DCU would ensure that the works, which need urgent attention, could be taken up by the DCU. The officials said that the unit would pave the way for hassle-free work at least to the limit of Rs 2 to Rs 3 lakh.
Engineers resent chief’s appointment
THE APPOINTMENT of Lalta Prasad as acting chief engineer at the Kanpur Municipal Corporation has generated resentment among the senior engineers of the corporation.
The post was vacant for about a year. Most of the senior engineers at the KMC are tightlipped on the issue.
According to some engineers, Lalta Prasad was junior to three executive engineers including Shenshah Sultan, Hariram and Satish Chandra.
It was after Shenshah Sultan refused to be the acting chief engineer, the then municipal commissioner Arvind Singh, who was later on suspended, made Lalta Prasad as the acting chief engineer.
The executive engineers, however, were of the view that either of the three should have been elevated instead of Lalta Prasad.
This has also resulted in lobbying among the senior engineers who are virtually up in arm against the chief engineer.
Besides, sources said that the KMC might get a permanent chief engineer. Names of BN Misra and Jeetendra Lele were on top.
