Jharkhand Builders Wary Of Reservation Clause

The Jharkhand centre of Builders Association of India (BAI) has welcomed the state’s move to change the existing rules for awarding government contracts worth up to Rs 25 crore to local firms but urged chief minister Hemant Soren to remove the reservation clause in the proposal. The chief minister had given his consent to a proposal mooted by the building construction department to provide reservation for contractors belonging to Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and other backward classes under certain conditions. “We have written to the chief minister for removing the clause providing reservation,” BAI Jharkhand centre president Rohit Agarwal said. “We don’t mind the government wanting to encourage and promote such contractors or firms but that should be for work orders of a lower value. Experience, expertise, turnover and goodwill are important aspects that should be considered for ensuring the quality of any high-value project,” he added.