The tender amounts to Rs 74,194. Express photo by Sumit Malhotra
Rose plants of Pune variety, ficus starlight are among various other flowers for which officials of the Chandigarh engineering wing floated a tender.
The tender amounts to Rs 74,194. It was earlier valued at Rs 81,944 and was later revised to its current cost.
The plants are being procured for special landscaping during the pandemic, at the official residence of Vinod P Kavle, a Chandigarh IAS officer.
IAS Officer Vinod P Kavle did not respond to calls. He was also contacted through a text message, asking if he had requested the special landscaping, to which he did not respond.
A horticulturist said that the estimates prepared in the tender by the administration is too high. “Chandani and hamellia varieties specified are given for free by the forest. Moreover, all the estimates are on the higher side, specially plants,” he added.
Activist RK Garg wrote to the UT Adviser about the wasteful expenditure.
“During the Van Mahotsav period when the Forest Department is distributing good valuable plants free of cost, spending huge money on plants is wasteful expense. The Chandigarh administration, due financial crunch, has already curtailed many expenses as such. All similar proposals of Engineering Department or any office needs a review,” added the activist.
Garg demanded that the tender process, as discussed, must be scrapped immediately. He added that the engineering department and all other departments may be directed to review all such proposals with the Finance Department of the UT administration before finalising them.
“If at all it is so important then a team of Horticultural Dept, UT may be deputed to implement while taking plants available to them free of cost,” he wrote in the letter
Tender to be cancelled: UT Engineering officer
A senior official of the Engineering wing said that they will cancel the tender now.
“It is just the usual landscaping which we do. The house was closed for some time before occupancy and landscaping was required, just as we do in all other houses. I don’t know why there is such an issue about it. Now, we have thought of cancelling the tender and carrying out the work later, when required,” he said.