Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 12:
Even as several allegations have hit the PWD, another engineering department is again caught in the slush of allegations.
This time it is the Public Health Engineering Department and the allegations centre around the sub- standard quality of lime, bleaching powder and alum supplied by two contractors who were awarded the contract for the 2003-2004 fiscal.
Sources from the PHED said that the total value of the goods supplied was worked out at Rs 1 crore and though the standard of alum is not upto the mark it can at least be used with care.
However the quality of bleaching powder is way below the nominal standard and is unfit for human use, said the source adding that the recent spread of water borne diseases, especially in Bishnupur district, may be linked to the extremely poor standard of bleaching powder used in treating the water by the PHED.
The connection, if any, should be probed thoroughly by the authority concerned, said the source.
The two suppliers have been named as M/S Prem Associates and M/S JS Enterprises.
M/S Prem Associates was awarded the supply order of 60 MT of bleaching powder, 140 MT of alum and 130 Mt of lime while M/S JS Enterprises was awarded 137 MT of alum, 187 MT of bleaching powder and 109 MT of lime.
The lime supplied by these two contractors were found way below the acceptable standard, said the source adding that even charcoals were found in the lime stock supplied by them.
As for bleaching powder, though the stipulated percentage of chemicals to be contained is 20 to 40 pc, the item supplied by them had only 10 pc chemicals.
The supply order had quoted the price of one metric ton of bleaching powder as Rs 22,790 while for alum it was Rs 8400 per metric ton and Rs 6000 per metric tin for lime.