IndianOil to help BMC’s malaria fight
Mumbai   29-May-2012

The civic body seems to be adopting the once bitten, twice shy approach towards malaria prevention. After a private contractor violated terms and conditions of the tender last the year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is relying on government companies this year to ensure timely delivery of oil needed to prevent mosquito breeding. It has approached IndianOil for the supply of Mosquito Larvacidal (ML) oil.

The decision was taken in the standing committee meeting on Friday. The civic body will purchase 2.5 lakh litre of ML oil at Rs80.5 per litre. The previous contractor, Kiran Trading Company, will be blacklisted.

In 2011, the BMC had cleared a Rs11.7 crore tender, according to which the private contractor was supposed to supply 18 lakh litre of ML oil in two years, at Rs65 per litre.

However, for 2011-12, the BMC received only 2.7 litre of oil.

The BMC administration then sent 31 purchase notices, but the contractor did not respond. It eventually had to purchase 9,500 litres of Temifose from another contractor, at Rs1,360 per litre, to spray at mosquito breeding sites.

However, engaging a government contractor has not put an end to civic body’s troubles.

Standing committee member and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator Manoj Kotak said that while the BMC’s 2011 requirement for ML oil was 9 lakh litres, this year’s contract is for 2.50 lakh litres.

“The administration should explain whether the previous tender was exorbitant,” he said.

“The administration has informed that they will be blacklisting the contractor. But there are many issues which need to be answered in this purchase of ML oil,” he added Defending the BMC move, Manish Mhaiskar, additional municipal commissioner, said that the decision were taken based on experts’ suggestions. “Since we have taken the necessary precautions, the number of patients affected by Malaria will be greatly reduced,” she said in the meeting.