By Our Chief Reporter
PANAJI (GOA): The Aam Aadmi Party said that the Govt was itself promoting corruption through tendering process in the PWD and other departments that are carrying out public works by relying on a circular which restricts a bidder in any tender, from quoting below 20% of the estimated cost in the case of buildings, roads, water supply and sewer works.
AAP said it was not only causing loss to the exchequer but also discriminated between contractors thus eliminating those contractors who were unable to meet the demands of the minister and his officials.
Addressing the media, AAP leader Pradeep Amonkar said that they have written to the chief secretary to withdraw the circular forthwith and ensure level playing field to local contractors whose power to pay underhand as is generally known, was much less than their outstation counterparts. He showed that in one single instance, the GIDC had cancelled a tender twice and processed the same the third time obviously after the settling the deal.
“GIDC issued a tender notice on the 14/07/2017 involving five different works of around 2.0 crores each. After two corrigendums, extending the date of submission of the tender by prospective bidders, the same works were retendered on 02/11/2017 with the addition of two more works thus tendering seven works which included five of those in the notice of 14/07/2017. Thus it was clear that the first tender was cancelled. The second tender too was not finalized and the seven works were retendered the third time on 07/12/2017. We challenge the GIDC and the Govt to come clean on the cancellation of the tendering twice and ask them what was the deal not to accept the tenders earlier in which the bids were much lower which favoured the corporation. By forcing all the contractors to quote uniformly @ 20% below, the GIDC is acting arbitrarily to award to the contractor that would pay the highest to the GIDC officials. The secrecy of the tender was already compromised through the earlier bids. This is the case in many depts. And who reimburses the cost of the earlier two tenders? ” said Amonkar.
Stating that this is a major scam brewing in the public works departments since the past few years draining crores from the public exchequer, AAP said that their own inquiry has shown that the illegal circular was called “cushion of corruption for the PWD” and “Illegal and of distortionist nature, inclined to protect the contractor rather than the Government’s” and was withdrawn earlier but brought back at the insistence of then PWD minister Sudin Dhavalikar who is also the current minister. “The final test will be in the High Court” said Amonkar, in the presence of AAP leader Sunil Signapurkar and AAP general secretary Pradeep Padgaonkar.
