RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Sept.15: Punching holes in the tender floated by the union tribal welfare department for construction of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) at Bero and Mandar in Jharkhand, a social worker from Jamshedpur, Bhishma Singh, knocked on the door of Jharkhand High Court for a proper probe into the matter.
The petition suggests that the union welfare ministry floated a tender demanding security money of Rs 5 lakh from a bidder in violation of guidelines of the government not to demand the same till December 31, 2021 due to economic slowdown during the corona pandemic.
Apart from this, the petition suggests that the department floated two tenders to deprive many of participating in the bidding process.
The first tender was floated on February 18, 2021. It was for two EMRS. Cost mentioned was Rs 48 crore. When the bid was finalized and five qualified for the job, the department again floated another tender on August 10, 2021.
In the tender floated on August 10, 2020, the department reduced the bid amount and made it for one school. This time amount was reduced to Rs 17.96 crore from Rs 48 crore without assigning any reason but the condition was given that those qualified in the bid taken place in February 2020.
The petitioner has pointed how come the cost of two schools came Rs 48 crore and how come its amount in the construction of school was reduced to Rs 17.96 crore when the number of schools was reduced to one from two. The petitioner also pointed out how come selection was done on the basis of two schools and then it was reduced to one in the second tender and then it was added in the condition that those who had qualified in the first tender can participate in the second tendering process.
The petitioner also pointed that the advertisement was not published in any print media and all the information was given through the website. The petitioner drew the attention of the court toward serious irregularities saying that when the tender was floated the second time, the last date for opening tender was August 24 at 3pm but hardly seven minutes before the deadline its date was extended till August 27 to benefit one agency.
Petitioner’s advocate Vijay Shanker Prasad confirmed the development saying that petitioner is chairman of Assembly of Human Right and Justice and he through his petition demanded cancellation of NIT issued in February and August besides a thorough probe in the irregularities that deprived several bidders to participate in the bidding process and thus paving the path of loss to the state exchequer.
