FAISALABAD, Aug 24: Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has refused to relax the rules for awarding contracts to the National Logistic Cell and the Frontier Works Organization without calling formal tenders for rehabilitation of 22 main city roads under the Faisalabad Roads Rehabilitation Project.

The city tehsil council Nazim, Mumtaz Ali Cheema, had moved a summary to the chief minister, claiming that the FRRP, being executed through the NLC and the FWO, was in the doldrums because the existing rules did not allow the TMA to formally award the contracts of such roads to these organizations without fulfilling the requirements of calling tenders and providing opportunity to the prospective contractors to participate in the bids.

The Nazim also sought relaxation of Rules 11 and 50 of the TMA Works Rules, 2003, afresh so that the FRRP could continue and enable the TMA to award the works to the NLC and the FWO without calling formal tenders in the public interest.

The FRRP was originally initiated in 1998, and 94 city roads were identified for the purpose. In order to ensure quality works, the NLC and the FWO were encouraged by the former chief minister, Shahbaz Sharif, for the construction of the main city roads. Besides, both these organizations were issued work orders without calling formal tenders.

To fulfil the task, the provincial government had granted relaxation of rules 7, 18 and 19 of the Punjab Local Councils (contract) Rules, 1981, for awarding contracts to both the agencies.

Apart from this, the NLC and the FWO were also allowed to charge rates at least 150 per cent more than from the contracts awarded by the defunct Faisalabad Municipal Corporations to the private contractors. Likewise, NESPAK was also involved in the FRRP for designing of the roads and ensuring implementation of quality of roads as per design.

At present, there are still 22 main city roads in the fold of FRRP the fate of which hangs in balance for the last two years. Work on these projects could not commence as the EDO (finance) raised an objection that no contract could be awarded without calling of tenders and relaxation already granted by the provincial government has no more in field in wake of enforcement of the Punjab Local Government Ordinance 2001.

Following the refusal of allowing relaxation by the chief minister, the TMA (city) and higher-ups of both these organizations are in a fix, as the NLC and the FWO have already done substantial work on some of the projects in anticipation of favourable approval by the chief minister.

This development forced the NLC and FWO to suspend the roads rehabilitation work in the city causing great inconvenience to the citizens.

A senior TMA (city) official, who requested anonymity, told this correspondent that the NLC and the FWO had threatened the TMA that these would file suits of damages if not allowed to continue with the project.

SURVEY: A survey has been started around the Jhang Branch canal to select a suitable site for the installation of tubewells to formally commence a foreign-funded water supply project.