Coronavirus: Chandigarh MC civic works hit, labour exodus adds to worries
The major work that has been hit is road recarpeting, pegged at ₹40 crore
All civic works being carried out by the municipal corporation in Chandigarh have come to a halt as the nationwide lockdown to contain coronavirus enters second week on Wednesday.
What worries the contractors even more is the mass exodus of labourers from the tricity. This, they say, will further delay the works even after the situation normalises. The major work that has been hit is road recarpeting. Pegged at ₹40 crore, it had been pending for long. After taking off in the first week of March, it had to be stopped within 10 days due to the restrictions imposed in Chandigarh.
A road contractor, who did not wish to be named, said although he did not have the exact number, most of the labourers engaged by him left the city in the past three to four days. “This will definitely pose a hurdle once we plan to restart the work,” he said.
Harpreet Singh, another contractor who deals with public health works, said outsourced labourers working at tubewells and water reservoirs are still reporting on duty. However, as far as civic works, such as road repairs, are concerned, he was not sure whether they were available anymore. “It will be known once restrictions are lifted,” he said.
Chief engineer Shailender Singh said suspension of civic works is “beyond our control”. “However, we will try to restart them at the earliest, when the situation normalises,” he said.
Meanwhile, parking lots will also take more time to get smart facilities.
The MC in February had given 90 days to the two new parking contractors to equip 89 lots with smart facilities.
It is learnt, the contractors have told the civic body that they will not be able to meet the deadline, and sought three to four weeks extension. Smart facilities include installation of cameras and display screens.