After the Opposition walked out of the BMC’s Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday, a controversial contract to appoint lifeguards on city beaches was given to a ‘tainted’ company. The committee had held the proposal back last week over the same issue. On Wednesday, it was passed with an amendment to give preference to local fisherfolk to work as lifeguards.
Only bidder
The Fire Brigade has decided to appoint an agency for deploying 93 lifeguards on six city beaches. It has finalised M/s Drushti Life Saving Pvt. Ltd. for all six beaches as it was the only bidder.
Work is to be allotted for the next three years, and the guards will work in two shifts. The corporation will be spending nearly ₹13 crore on procuring these guards.
The proposal came up before the Standing Committee last week where it met with resistance. Members alleged that Drushti Life Saving Pvt. Ltd. has links with Drushti Adventure Sports Pvt. Ltd.
The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation had blacklisted Drushti Adventure Sports in 2016 for defaulting on rent and filed a first information report against it for alleged theft.
In a written response to members’ queries, the Fire Brigade has said the blacklisting was cancelled by the Bombay High Court in April this year.
MTDC again initiated blacklisting proceedings against the company and HC appointed an arbitrator in the matter. But the Fire Brigade has maintained that the two companies are registered separately and have different directors. Drushti Life Saving has also submitted an undertaking on stamp paper that it has no proceedings under way.
Members had also demanded to know why social service organisations and the Kolis, who save people in times of emergency, are not being given a chance as they are ‘sons of the soil’.
Preference to Kolis
The Fire Brigade said it had tried several times in the past and received an extremely poor response to advertisements to recruit fisherfolk.
In Wednesday’s meeting, Shiv Sena leader Vishakha Raut said, “During the Ganesh visarjan (immersion), it is the Kolis who come out in large numbers to help people and prevent mishaps. They should be given preference.”
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manoj Kotak moved an amendment that locals be given 80% preference in these appointments. The proposal was passed along with the amendment without any opposition.