Hot mix plants’ owners boycott link road tenders

JALANDHAR: The Hot Mix Plant Owners Association- Punjab in a press conference held here on Friday criticised the senior Punjab government officials heading the Link Roads Scheme 2018 (Rs 1,700-crore projects) for allegedly putting bogus detail notice for inviting tender (DNIT) conditions.

Representatives of the Hot Mix Plant Owners Association at a press conference in Jalandhar on Friday. Photo: Sarabjit Singh

Our Correspondent

Jalandhar, April 20

The Hot Mix Plant Owners Association- Punjab in a press conference held here on Friday criticised the senior Punjab government officials heading the Link Roads Scheme 2018 (Rs 1,700-crore projects) for allegedly putting bogus detail notice for inviting tender (DNIT) conditions.

Addressing mediapersons, president of the association Balwinder Singh Sidhwan, said, “Our association is giving employment to more than two lakh families in the state. As we have now declared a statewide boycott, we are no longer submitting tenders to the government. The families of labourers and workers are suffering as we are not carrying out any work. Even the roads which require an immediate repair in many rural areas are not being repaired and only the state government is responsible for all this.”

He informed that one of the conditions put by officials under DNIT stated that sensor paver for road should be 10-ft wide. It was not at all possible in reality to work with the sensor paver of such a short width as this would deteriorate the quality of road.

A senior vice-president of the association, Mohan Singh, said, “It seems the officials appointed by the government for laying down these conditions have no knowledge of the tenders, as all the DNIT conditions mentioned by the officials have nothing to do with the repair of link roads tenders. Rather the conditions are applicable on national highways”.

Press secretary of association Kulwinder Singh informed, “Despite paying 12 per cent GST, no reimbursement is being given to us by the government and even the cost of carrying seal coat material from the plant to the site has not been added in the list. Now when the cost of diesel is almost Rs 66-67, the cost of carriage is to be borne by contractors”.

The members of the association also demanded changes in the rate of steel and cement. “No tenders of the government will be entertained till our demand are met and we will boycott the tenders issued by the government.”