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| Hours before Taj was 'removed' on Jan 15, order put on backdate | | Defaulter unit 'entertained' by PHE deptt with fresh order | | ET Report
Jammu, Jan 23: It could have happened only in PHE department when Taj Mohi-ud-Din was the Minister. Hours before his portfolio changed on January 15 reshuffle, the officials at the helm earned one more notoriety and dubious distinction of tampering with the orders and dates thereof, all to accommodate 'favorite' parties and accrue benefits in the deals. In what could be seen as last irregularity during 'Taj empire' , the PHE authorities changed the date of an procurement order from a private company and put it on backdate as having been released on 14-01-13 to accommodate a company which is a defaulter as per its past record of the procurement deals.
Sources said the company from outside the State by name of "Tirupati Container Pvt Ltd Ghaziabad was obliged in 'swift course of actions' by the authorities who placed an order of supplies worth Rs 3.48 cr in its favour. Sources further said that what has raised many eyebrows among the other competitors and bidders is the fact that the said company has already been enlisted as defaulter as it has failed to provide requisite supply in the earlier orders given by the department. Sources said it had taken the order in 2011 against which its supply of 246 metric tonnes is still pending which the said company was supposed to provide on rates, terms and conditions as laid down in the supply order. As the unit failed to provide entire supply, it automatically became a defaulter.
However, the interesting twist in the story is that the said unit was again entertained by the department when it placed orders through e- tendering process. Sources said its name came lowest in the tendering process and the order was placed in its name albeit this time on the condition which company gave in writing that it would provide supplies which are pending against the previous order first. Against the pending 246 MT , it however, managed to supply only 63 MT, sources said adding that it continued to be in the defaulter list on this account.
Notwithstanding this status, the PHE authorities and officials in the procurement and purchasing wing, placed afresh order in its name with order no. PHE-J\ P\88\384\56 , hurriedly on the backdate as on 14-01-2013, so that it could not lose the 'deal' in the new order with new incumbent as Minister on account of the unit being the defaulter . The fresh order is worth Rs 3.48 cr made in its favour by the authorities at the helm for apparent reasons. Sources said the new order has been placed not only at the cost of the interests of local small scale industries but also at the expense of State exchequer. The owners of local units are agitated as they contend at the time of opening the price bid this point was raised by all other participating tenderers as also by the members of the purchasing committee of department that tender of the defaulter company cannot be entertained. It was also decided in the meeting that the said unit shall not be given any fresh order until and unless it will not execute past supply order .
Sources said the local units which have remained non beneficiaries in the fresh orders are asking for release of past pending payments but the officials at the helm have not paid any heed and have been avoiding on the pretext of lack of funds. The department is already facing a liability in purchasing and procurement business of a huge amount to the tune of over Rs 60 cr, sources said adding that by placing a fresh order to this outside defaulter unit, it has again created a crunch of Rs over Rs 3 cr. |
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