Re-evaluate drain project cost, MCG team told

Gurgaon: The estimates of the sewer and drainage cleaning project in all 35 wards will be prepared again after consulting the councillors. This was decided in a meeting held at the MCG office on Wednesday. The mayor has directed the engineering wing officials to consult the councillors to draw estimates of the work in their wards.
The move comes after nine councillors had written to the mayor alleging that the Rs 28 crore estimate for the project prepared by MCG department was inflated and prepared without consulting them.
“For drains’ cleaning, the estimates are prepared in a manner that 60% of the amount will be spent on cleaning and 40% will be spent on making new drains. However, while preparing the estimates, it was not taken into account whether a new drain is required or not and whether 60% amount is required to be spent for de-silting of drains. Moreover, the officials included estimates of construction of new drains in wards. We, anyway, have separate tenders for construction of new drains in different wards. That would have resulted in a huge loss of money,” said Kuldeep Yadav, Ward 29 councillor.
Mayor Madhu Azad said, “The measurements and prices on which the councillors had raised objections will be checked before Friday and then the final report will be taken up in a meeting with the councillors. The MCG commissioner will chair the meeting.”
“The estimates say that 550 kilometres of drains have to be cleaned in 22 wards. I asked them where the drain is, since they have not given details. But we did not get any reply. They just made lump sum estimates, which are highly inflated,” said RS Rathee, ward 34 councillor.