Contractors now ‘pay’ for no fault

 

Incidentally, the works were executed by second rung leaders of the ruling party in the previous government at the behe-st of party leaders then. The sub-contractors made sizeable money and the original contractors facing charges for the former’s mistakes now.

 

The quality of the construction was so poor that many houses collapsed even before occupation. As many as 1,730 houses have been found unfit by a team of R&B engineers, which conducted a probe recently. Cases are being booked against 28 contractors who are involved in the construction of these houses.

 

The Congress government had sanctioned 6,468 houses for poor in 2006 and the works were given on nomination basis since no one filed tenders in August 2008. 

They have suspended the works in 2011 under the pretext that Rs 85,000 being offered for each house are inadequate. Fresh tenders have been called in 2012 after Kiran Kumar Reddy government increased the sum to Rs 1,08,000 per unit. Of the 99 packages offered, contractors took only for 44 of them then.

 

The sub-standard quality of works has been exposed by YSR Congress leaders in 2013. District collector N. Srikant ordered a probe and action was initiated against erring contractors and officers after inspecting the houses in July this year.

 

“The original contractors ignored our advice to rectify the defects before the probe committee inspection under the plea that they have not carried out the works. The contractors have failed to understand that their names are on record and department got nothing to do with the sub-contractors. Now they have been urging us to give a chance but it is too late since the higher authorities already directed us to file the cases,” a senior official said.

 

Pointing to the financial condition of the state government, he said that the authorities should give an opportunity to the contractors to correct their mistakes since the project is likely to remain incomplete for years together.