Nagpur: As preparations begin for the Winter Session of Maharashtra Legislature in Nagpur, the State Public Works Department (PWD) has decided to hire a private company to prepare all the work and cost proposals. It is clear from this that now the Session will also be privatized? With this, now the movement of contractors can start directly in the Legislature.
During the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government for two and a half years, not a single Winter Session was held in Nagpur. All the sessions were held in Mumbai, citing Corona as the main reason. On the last day of the Monsoon Session in Mumbai, the Shinde Sena and the BJP Government had announced that the Winter Session will be held in Nagpur from December 19.
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For the last several decades, the Winter Session of Nagpur was turning out to be like Diwali for the contractors because works worth Rs 2.5 crore were being done without tenders. The officers concerned of PWD kept enjoying every year’s session, because there was no limit on the expenditure for these sessions. There would have been no account and no one could point fingers at it. Every year after the session, non-beneficiaries kept making allegations and counter-allegations about the expenses, but no one faced the heat.
It is noteworthy that till now all the preparations and expenditure for the Winter Session were accounted for through the Public Works Department. But this time for the first time an advisor has been appointed to prepare the proposals/estimates of the session. The exact reason and motive behind this is not understood. The Public Works Department has many experienced experts. They have deep experience in the expenses of the winter session. Despite this, the appointment of a private contractor company has taken everyone by surprise.
It is also worth mentioning that the session site is considered very sensitive. No one is allowed inside without a pass. At the main entrance, everyone’s car is carefully checked, only VVIPs are left unchecked. On the appointment of a private contractor company, anyone can enter the Vidhan Bhavan and pose danger. On the other hand, however, the Public Works Department has claimed that this will bring transparency in the work and cost.
Division-I of PWD plays an important role in the preparations of the Winter Session. But this time the Division-3 officer was given the responsibility for the appointment of a personal advisor. Since the session has not been held for two years, the annual painting and maintenance repairs have not been carried out. The MLA Hostel, Ravi Bhavan, the bungalows of the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister and the bungalows of the officers will have to be given a facelift at this time. Two and a half months are left for this. Looking at the date of the Winter Session, it was expected that the work would start from now onwards.
