BMC Lodges FIRs Against Pvt Firm, Central PSU For Delay In Building Composting Centre & Houses In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: Under attack over several issues including waste pile-up in Odisha capital, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has lodged FIRs against a private firm and Central PSU for alleged breach of contract and delay in completing two major projects.

According to reports, a police complaint has been lodged against Bigyan Construction Private Limited for failing to complete work on a mega composting centre (MCC) in Palasuni area as per the agreement in August. It has led to waste pile-up at the temporary transit station (TTS), triggering anger among residents.

Completion of the 100-tonne per day (TPD) capacity MCC would have helped BMC stop waste transportation to the TTS as 100 tonnes of waste could have been processed at the new centre. BMC had signed an agreement with the firm to take up work on the MCC in April.

BMC officials said that the company was served several reminders when it was found that the work was slow. After it missed the deadline, the civic body asked it to expedite work using extra manpower but it did not pay any heed. “The delay in work disrupted our plan to ensure better sanitation in the city. We have lodged a complaint with police for exemplary punishment. The company may be put on the blacklist also,” BMC commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange was quoted by TOI as saying.

The BMC stopped transportation of waste to Daruthenga on the city outskirts in May, this year. BMC officials say delay in opening the new MCC has lad to waste pile-up at the TTS since September.

Managing director of Bigyan Construction S K Swain said work should have been completed in August. However, work slowed down during monsoon as the site is located in a low-lying area. Work is on day and night to complete it by December-end, he said.

Similarly, the BMC also lodged a complaint against central PSU Bridge and Roof Company (India) Ltd for failing to build 400 houses for slum dwellers at Mandap basti. The civic body had entered into an agreement with the company in 2014 and the project was to be completed by 2016.

Though seven years have passed since the scheduled date of completion of construction work, the company is yet to hand over the dwelling units to BMC. As a result, the beneficiaries have been deprived of houses. BMC deputy commissioner Ramesh Jena told TOI that the civic body has paid the company full Rs 21 crore, estimated cost of the project.

Stating that the civic body is strict about completion of different projects within the stipulated timeline, the BMC Commissioner said that the beneficiaries were unable to get the benefit of the slum housing project as the company failed to complete the work in time.

Despite several reminders, the company caused undue delay in the project and the civic body had to lodge police complaint, he said.

Kulange said some of the firms who have taken up various projects on contract are also adopting a casual approach, while a few of them have even engaged other companies for the job in an unauthorised manner. If the firms fail to implement the project sincerely, steps may be taken to blacklist them, he added.