The CPWD said in the tender document that the “work is of very urgent nature” and if the contractor fails to complete the work in 25 days, it would be barred from participating in future tenders of the division concerned…reports Asian Lite News
Rashtrapati Bhavan is set to be spruced up with a fresh coat of paint, dry-cleaning of woollen carpets and silk curtains, chemical treatment of the sandstone facade, and replacement of the kerbstones outside, just in time for the scheduled visits of heads of state during the G20 leaders’ summit in September.
With just about a month to go for the summit on September 9-10, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) on August 5 invited bidders for “Miscellaneous maintenance works in relation to official visits of Head of States of G20 countries”, at an estimated cost of Rs.71.53 lakh. The CPWD will open bids on Tuesday and the work is to be executed within 25 days.
The list of beautifying measures includes painting walls with luxury emulsion paint, applying anti-fungal wash treatment on the heritage building as approved by the Archaeological Survey of India; and stain removal of silk and velvet curtains.
The CPWD said in the tender document that the “work is of very urgent nature” and if the contractor fails to complete the work in 25 days, it would be barred from participating in future tenders of the division concerned.
However, a CPWD official said the nature of the work was “routine maintenance” and not major. While similar maintenance work is not carried out before every visit, it is nevertheless performed at regular intervals since Rashtrapati Bhavan is visited by foreign dignitaries several times a year, the official said.
The two-day summit is set to be held at the recently-inaugurated Bharat Mandapam convention centre at Pragati Maidan, with the heads of states scheduled to visit Rashtrapati Bhavan. In February, the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting was scheduled to take place at the convention centre. However, since the centre was yet to be ready, the meeting was held at the cultural centre at the 330-acre Rashtrapati Bhavan complex.