Post row, MCB revises rate for buying tree guards

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

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Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 6

After getting a rap on its knuckles from the Local Bodies Department, the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) has drastically reduced the price at which it would buy tree guards as part of its plantation drive.

While earlier, it had proposed to buy tree guards at Rs 2,250 each, now the rate has been brought down to Rs 1,280.

In May, the cash-strapped Municipal Corporation Bathinda had planned to spend Rs 1.09 crore to buy 5,000 tree guards for the city.

Apart from this, the MCB had also planned to spend Rs 35.5 lakh on fixing and installing these tree guards.

Interestingly, the MCB had installed around 4,000 tree guards last year as well but no one knew where these were installed.

In July, the Local Bodies Department rejected the proposal of the MCB to buy 5,000 tree guards.

The state government also asked the MCB to explain about the status of the tree guards bought last year.

The department directed the MCB to present the tree guard proposal again in the general house meeting.

The Horticulture Branch of the MCB tabled a renewed proposal during the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) meeting held on August 2.

In the proposal not only the number of tree guards to be purchased was brought down, the rate at which these were to be bought was also cut.

The branch submitted a report, which stated that it had called for tenders to purchase 1,500 tree guards.

Of the five tenders, which the horticulture branch received, the tender was allotted to Garg Industries, which quoted the lowest price of Rs 18.68 lakh.

The horticulture branch mentioned that the rate at which the tender was granted was considerably low than the last time.

The proposal clarified that due to amendments in the rate of steel, this time the tender had been granted at Rs 18.68 lakh as against Rs 33.75 lakh quoted last time.