CHENNAI: Tondiarpet Zonal Committee Chairman Nethaji U Ganesan on Friday (September 26) raised concerns over the quality of civic works awarded at steep negative rates, warning that such low bids could result in substandard infrastructure and pose safety risks to residents.

Speaking at the council meeting, Ganesan point to 4 major projects that were awarded to the Tondiarpet zone over the past four months.

Two of them involved desilting of storm water drain and road-cut restoration; both were awarded at negative rates of 34% and 36% respectively. Questioning whether contractors could execute the works to the required standards at such rates, Ganesan urged the Corporation to exercise strict supervision over the projects.

“There are no essential routine works happening in the zone in the past four months. Even minor repairs, including motor repairs, were pending, affecting the functioning of local civic administration,” he lamented.

Ganesan also sought details on the status of 18 building projects taken up between Wards 34 and 48. “While three completed projects have been opened for public use, 15 were nearing completion,” he added. “When are these works going to be completed and handed over?”

GCC Commissioner GS Sameeran acknowledged the delay and attributed the stalled works to financial constraints.

Intervening, Mayor R Priya directed officials to ensure that structural standards were not compromised during execution.

She also suggested reviewing tender norms and introducing a cap on negative bids, such as limiting discounts to a maximum of 15% below the estimated rate, depending on the nature of the project.