Dakshina Kannada ZP to blacklist non-performing contractors.

The council of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat decided to blacklist contractors who did not complete water supply projects by the end of 2014-15.

In the ZP meeting recently, the members took the engineers to task for failing to ensure that water supply projects were completed within the stipulated period. Executive Engineer of the panchayat H. V. Nanjeshaiah told the meeting that 35 water supply projects - some of which were three years old - were incomplete due to various reasons.

Eshwar Kateel, a member, said that completion of the multi-village water supply project at Kinnigoli had been delayed particularly because of the non-performance of the Andhra Pradesh-based contractor. Though the former Executive Engineer of the panchayat S.L. Sathyanarayana promised the council that the project would be commissioned by the end of December, it had not happened.

Mr. Nanjeshaiah said that all efforts would be made to commission the project within two weeks. But a sceptical Mr. Kateel said that it would be impossible as some pipelines were yet to be laid.

Another member pointed out that the panchayat should take over the 2 mgd (million gallons a day) capacity water supply line (old water supply line) of Mangalore City Corporation from Thumbe to Padil as people under many gram panchayats drew water from it and the corporation was not using it. Replying to it, Thusali Maddineni, Chief Executive Officer of the panchayat, said it involved bearing the maintenance cost of Rs. 80 lakh per annum. In addition, as untreated water was being pumped into the pipeline, the panchayat would have to set up a treatment plant. A proposal for funds to this effect would be sent to the Principal Secretary of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.


THE HINDU