Now Chandigarh MC needs Rs. 4.40 cr to give finishing touches to gaushala at Raipur Kalan

This is in addition to the estimate of Rs 2.33 crore for the building and boundary wall of gaushala and cattle pond.

To make “new gaushala functional in a proper way”, the cash-starved civic body needs to give finishing touches to the ongoing construction work of cattle pond at Raipur Kalan at a cost of Rs 4.40 crore. This is in addition to the estimate of Rs 2.33 crore for the building and boundary wall of gaushala and cattle pond.

Tenders are being floated in bits and pieces. Just seven months ago, an agenda item was brought in the House on providing public health services and firefighting services at the site for Rs 73.94 lakh.

The foundation stone of this cattle pond was laid in October 2019. Since then the work has been going on.

The agenda item that is being brought in the general house meeting on July 29 says, “As per preplanning of gaushala to be constructed in Raipur Kalan (sic), part of the work allotted to the contractual agency and allotted work has been completed. Now, the Architect, MC, has given planning to complete the work wherein the provision for some additional accommodation also has been made as per required planning. In order to make the centre, workable roads/parking need to be constructed simultaneously to facilitate movement of vehicles/staff. Specifications of road /parking work have been taken as per consultancy report of NITTTR. This rough cost estimate has been framed to execute the balance work as per final planning to make the gaushala functional in a proper way.”

This estimate will include building works, providing interlocking paver blocks (roads/parking), provision for horticulture, provision for processing of cow dung machine (making wood pallets), and provision for CCTV cameras.

The expenditure on this work will be charged under “civic head”.

Leader of Opposition in the MC Devinder Singh Babla said, “How do we know that the works are not overlapping and for which they are seeking approval now, they are not including in previous estimates approved? Why are they floating tenders in bits and pieces? When this is one project, they should make estimates in one go and tell us how much amount is being spent. When building is constructed, they should make estimates of other works also along with it.”

Dry fodder and green fodder

On the supply of dry fodder and green fodder in the two cattle ponds with the Chandigarh civic body, the General House had already raised questions.

Councillors said that it had been over one year that they had asked the officials to install CCTV cameras to check how much fodder is reaching the cattle and is being weighed and going in.

According to the agenda that was put up in one of the meetings early this year, the stray cattle impounded in the cattle ponds situated at Industrial Area, Phase I are served dry fodder every day and the tender for supply of the same was floated in October 2019. The tender was awarded to one Gurkirat Singh at a cost of Rs 1,08,20,352.

The agenda item aimed to get approval for extension of the contract by one more year even when many have questioned the rates at which the fodder has been purchased. However, it was not given and the officials were asked to float it afresh.

Various activists had also raised questions saying that the civic body spending almost Rs 30,000 a day to feed dry fodder to stray cattle is something that needs to be investigated.

In another agenda item, there was also a recommendation of allowing extension of one year contract to one Devinder Kumar who supplied green fodder to stray cattle at a cost of Rs 97,41,120. However, that was also not extended and there was a demand to float it afresh.

The General House resolved that a fresh tender be called and this needs to be investigated as to why cameras were not installed as asked by them.

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