| E-tenders ‘managed’ by DFO Rajouri to accommodate blue eyed contactors | | Tenders invited for 2 works, works allotted for single work | | AVINASH AZAD
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Sep 2: It may sound strange but it’s a fact that to accommodate blue eyed contractors, the Divisional Forest Office (DFO) Rajouri tinkered e-tendering, a so-called transparent system for allotments of civil works, as instead of two items mentioned in the tender form allotments were made to ‘successful’ contractors for single work only, deceiving other contactors.
One of the unsuccessful bidder alleging fraud in the so called e-tendering system while exposing the official nexus to ensure success of blue eyed contractors said that the case of recently executed tender process should be handed over to the CBI or ACB to unearth multi hundred crore scandal in the Forest Department.
“Recently, DFO Rajouri invited tenders for civil works (fencing and plantation) for various closures of different Forest Range falling under the jurisdiction of DFO Rajouri. For e-NIT No:- 01 of 2020-21 dated 04-07-2020, total works 28, and e-NIT No:- 02 of 2020-21 dated 06-07-2020 total works 33 and for e-NIT No:- 05 of 2020-21 dated 22-07-2020 another 33 works of fencing and plantation were to be executed”, the contractor said, adding it was surprising that results for one and all were there when the tenders were opened.
“Apart from above discussed e-NITs, that had invited tenders for several other works, their fate can be estimated from the fate of this work”, he added
“I enquired from the officials of DFO Rajouri and they claimed that through a corrigendum, second works i.e. plantation was deleted on latter stage, but no such corrigendum appeared on the portal, as contractors on daily basis keep checking up-dates of tenders they have filed”, he added.
“Among the seven to eight total contractors, only three contractors marked L1 and hijacked all works. A trio of successful contractors quoted amount for single item i.e. fencing works, while for another item they quoted zero amount”, said another contractor, adding that within two days of opening of financial bid (online), the tender inviting authority allotted the works to blue eyed contactors, in a bid to escape any legal hurdle, if 'unsuccessful' bidders knock door of Court. “The successful bidders have very smartly grabbed all these works, certainly with the connivance of some insiders, by mentioning zero rates for plantation works, the anti-graft agencies should immediately take cognizance of foul play for works of worth crores of rupees”, said retired forest official, adding that in same way hundreds of crores of public money were drained by corrupt officers and officials of Forest department.
“Works of crores of rupees vanish within one or two years, as there is no accountability of contractors who executed works. In other departments, there is rules that if contractors compromise of quality of works and any fault develop of any works, the concerned contactor is liable to fix that fault, but in Forest Department there is complete ‘Jungle Raj’, an audit of pasts works if conducted many officers and officials will be behind the bars”, he said.
DFO Rajouri Sanjay Gupta when contacted said that the plantation works were withdrawn due to technical problems. “Following the instructions of higher authorities plantation works were withdrawn and a corrigendum was published in the newspapers”, he said. |
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