Fomento panel raises the issue of payments with Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes
MARGAO
In a bid to break the deadlock over the inordinate delay in clearing the payments of Fomento Green Ltd towards the setting up of the solid waste management plant at Sonsodo, the Margao Municipal Council on Monday dashed of a letter to the Disputes Redressal Committee (DRC) headed by retired Judge Pramod Kamat to convene a meeting to discuss the contentious issue.
MMC Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes sent the SOS to the disputes redressal panel after a delegation of Fomento Green called on him to discuss the issues concerning Sonsodo plant and the undue haste on part of the civic body to clear the payments.
Fomento Green has raised the dispute with the Margao Municipal Council over the non-payment of fees amounting to over Rs five crore towards the setting up of the waste treatment plant at Sonsodo.
Though it’s now more than a decade since the Sonsodo waste treatment plant was commissioned and run by Fomento Green, the municipality has so far paid only the first installment of Rs 1.30 crore to the company, despite the fact that the company has been running the plant since 2012.
Sources said the two sides also discussed on the issue of signing an addendum to the Concession Agreement, to pave way for the Margao municipality to engage a consultant to assess the work carried out at the plant before releasing the payments.
When The Goan contacted CO Johnson Fernandes to shed light on the payments due to Fomento Green, he said the municipality is seized of the matter, adding that he has written to the Disputes Redress Committee headed by retired Judge Pramod Kamat to convene a meeting in order to deliberate and discuss the issue threadbare on the question of payments.
Sources in the know said the municipality has carried out its internal assessment of the construction work carried out on the solid waste management plant by Fomento Green, but is of the firm view that the estimates should either be vetted by a consultant or cleared by the Disputes Redressal Committee.
What’s interesting to note is that Ahmedabad-based consultant, P U Asnani had twice visited the Margao Municipal Council over the past two years, after he was invited to assist the civic body to assess the Sonsodo waste treatment plant. While the consultant had agreed to help the MMC to give a report on the work carried out at the solid waste treatment plant, he, however, insisted that the civic body and Fomento Green should first sign the addendum to the Concession Agreement before he accepts the offer to help the civic body.
