Chadchart faces task of tackling Bangkok waste incinerator mess
Getting bids for waste incinerators at the solid waste disposal centres in Bangkok’s Nong Khaem and Prawet districts is one of the tasks governor-elect Chadchart Sittipunt will have to tackle.
The projects worth a total of 13.14 billion baht are currently pending at the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
In 2019, C&G Environmental Protection (Thailand) won the bid for a waste incinerator in the Nong Khaem waste disposal centre, while Newsky Energy (Bangkok) won the bid for the On Nut disposal centre in Prawet district.
However, both these projects have received many complaints, one of which was submitted to NACC by political activist Srisuwan Janya. The activist claimed the terms of reference for the two projects were biased to favour certain bidders. The subject was also part of the latest censure debate. The points in question are:
• Both C&G and Newskey Energy have the same CEO and address, while both companies hold stakes in each other.
• Three of five members of the panel considering the bidding results resigned, claiming that they have other duties to attend to and cannot deal with this issue.
• Former Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang had appointed his two deputies, Chakkaphan Piwngam and Thaweesak Lertprapan, to sign contracts for the two projects, but they resigned on July 22 and July 24, 2019, respectively.
When questioned about the projects in 2019, Aswin announced that he was ready to go to prison if it is proven that there is corruption.