No response in two years to tenders for de-weeding machines

No response in two years to tenders for de-weeding machines

Srinagar: Two years have passed since the Lakes and Water Development Authority (LAWDA) invited tenders for purchase of de-weeding machines, but not one tender has come. The tenders were floated after then Governor NN Vohra in a meeting of the State Administrative Council (SAC) in 2018 cleared the hiring and purchase of new machines. But despite tenders being floated for more than five times, there hasn’t been any response.
The tenders demanded specifications like three weed harvesting machines large in size, 3 barges, and weed cutting machines that could work 3 meters deep inside the water.
As per official sources, LAWDA currently has four weed harvester machines (two old and two new). Among them, one is defunct for years due to some defect.
The old machines can cut only the upper portion of weeds, leaving roots untouched, with the result that the weeds re-grow within a short time throughout the 16.35 sq km area of the Dal Lake.
An official, who wished not to be named, told Kashmir Reader that tenders need to be revised as the specified machines do work that can be done manually as well.
“A manual worker can extract one meter of lily pads from water. If we receive the harvesting machines mentioned in the tender, they will extract only 1-1.5 meters of grass inside the lake,” he said.
The official said that machines which can extract weed three meters deep inside the water are required.
Vice Chairman of LAWDA, Tufail Mattoo, acknowledged that insufficient number of machines was a problem. “For the last many years the department is floating tenders but we are yet to receive a good response,” he said.
He said that though the department opted for both open tender system as well as e-tendering, it did not receive any takers.
“Once we receive the new machines, it will ease the de-weeding process in water bodies,” Mattoo said.

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