Corpn issues guidelines to contractors for park maintenance

CHENNAI: To improvise the city parks, the Chennai Corporation revised the norms for the contractors to maintain the parks. The civic body authorities to conduct regular inspections in the respective zones, and give marks for the maintenance, if they fail to follow the norms action will be taken immediately.

The workers employed in the parks should be able to read and write in Tamil, read a recent circular of Chennai Corporation.

The new norms for the outsourcing for park maintenance should ensure that the cleaning and sweeping of lawns, footpaths have to be done on a daily basis regularly. The contractors must regularly check whether the broken tiles are replaced.

Play area of children to be filled with sieved, clean beach sand, free from coarse pebbles. The play equipment needs to be greased every 15 days.

The contractors taking parks for maintenance have to engage one park supervisor for every 10 workers and the supervisor will report to the concerned AEE / AE/ Park Overseer of the respective zone. The certificate of the supervisor with a minimum of diploma or graduation in horticulture, and three years of experience in the relevant field should be enclosed.

The same person should be engaged daily for the parks which shall be inspected by the higher officials.

The workers are given uniforms and should be able to read and write in Tamil. The minimum number of workers specified should be present for the day- to-day activities of maintenance and non-compliance in this regard will lead to cancellation of contract. "The AEE and AE of the respective zones are instructed to conduct inspections every month, they would put marks for maintenance of park lawn, toilets, footpath and cleanliness of the parks. If they failed to follow any of the criteria, the fine amount would be imposed, " said a senior GCC official.

The workers should ensure that no commercial, unauthorized, illegal activities take place in the park. And ensure safety for women and children inside the park.

"The guidelines have been issued to ensure that there are no short-term contractors who are unable to maintain the parks well. So, we have told the contractors they should have at least 10 to 12 parks under maintenance, and there should not be any cut corners. Based on the council experience, we have given them the guidelines and bidding documents," said Chennai Corporation commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi.

He added, "The bids are being made on May 10, and will be opened around May 26. The process will be scrutinized at the head office level and ensure that the contractors who do not have the capacity to bid their biddings capacity will be scrutinized. Later, the work order will be issued."