Chennai, Aug 29:
The Tamil Nadu government has invited tenders for the maintenance of major memorials and memorial halls of prominent leaders in Chennai, with the selected agency set to undertake security, sanitation, gardening and technical maintenance for two years.
The tender has been issued by the Department of Information and Public Relations for memorials and memorial halls under its Chennai regional jurisdiction.
The facilities covered by the contract include the MGR Memorial, Jayalalithaa Memorial, Kalaivanar Arangam, Valluvar Kottam, Quaid-e-Millath Manimandapam, Sivaji Ganesan Manimandapam, Dr B R Ambedkar Manimandapam, Bharathiyar Illam and the Manimandapams on the Gandhi Mandapam campus.
The agency selected through the tender will be responsible for maintaining the premises, including security, cleaning, gardening, plumbing and electrical works.
The government has laid down strict conditions to ensure that the contractor maintains service standards. Penalties will be imposed for negligence or failure to carry out the prescribed duties.
Employees failing to wear the prescribed uniform will attract a ₹50 penalty per person per day.
Those found smoking, consuming alcohol or sleeping while on duty will be fined ₹500 and removed from service immediately.
For deficiencies in the monthly maintenance and operational services, the contractor could face a penalty of up to ₹15,000.
The government has also warned contractors against violating labour laws. Failure to remit Provident Fund (PF) contributions or non-compliance with minimum wage regulations will attract a penalty of ₹50,000 per month.
More seriously, such violations could result in termination of the contract and blacklisting of the agency, according to the tender conditions.
The government’s stringent conditions are intended to ensure proper upkeep of the city’s important memorials and public heritage spaces, which attract visitors throughout the year.