Massive irregularities in procurement of 400-KV line network materials (ERS items) worth Rs 130 crore have been committed by officials of the Odisha Power Transmission Corporation ltd, alleged noted RTI activist Pradip Pradhan on Thursday.
Pradhan said information obtained through the RTI Act has revealed that the High Tech Systems and Services, Kolkata, an authorised channel partner of the Tower Solutions Inc, Canada, had been selected as an final bidder in an unfair manner.
As per provision of the RTI Act, he had on June 27, 2017 submitted an application to the OPTCl PIO seeking opportunity of an inspection of ERS (Emergency Restoration System) materials supplied by the Tower Solutions, Canada which were stored under the DGM, ESP Store and two technical experts.
After four months, the PIO allowed him to inspect ERS materials at OPTCl stores at Mancheswar here on November 15.
Earlier thorough an RTI query, it was found that, in August 2015, the OPTCl had released an advertisement inviting international competitive bidding in e-tendering mode for supply of lightweight aluminium, modular type emergency restoration system (ERS) suitable for 400 KV transmission line network at an estimated cost of Rs 130 million. The High Tech Systems and Services, Kolkata was selected as the final bidder.
As per tender advertisement, it was a requisite that the bidder must be a manufacturer. From the document produced by the final bidder, it was found that the major items like foundation base plate, foundation base artiulation, tower sections (TSMast), universal attachment, gin pole are manufactured and type tested by another company, laser AMP, Granby, QC, Canada.
From the website, it was also found that the Tower Solutions, Canada, a ISO 9001 holder, is a supplying-partner of the laser AMP, a manufacturing company of Canada.
“Now a question arises, while the Tower Solutions is not a manufacturing company, why and how the OPTCl awarded work to it violating norms of the advertisement. The officials awarded the work to the company by forging documents at the direction of OPTCl CMD Hemant Sharma,” alleged Pradhan in a statement.
Pradhan said he along with two other RTI activists, Sachikant Pradhan and Bikash Mohanty, inspected materials supplied by the Tower Solutions at the Mancheswar store on Wednesday.
“While I requested the store’s General Manager and storekeepers to show materials and explain technicalities of materials, they said they do not have idea about the technology and there is no such technical person available in the OPTCl. I was astonished that why the OPTCl purchased these ERS materials when it does not have an expertise to handle them,” he said.
He added that he didn’t find even single item manufactured by the Tower Solutions during the inspection. He too said that he had submitted a complaint to the Chief Secretary on July 24 17 seeking a Vigilance inquiry into it.
“Now, it is proved that the OPTCl prepared fake documents and selected a fake company to supply ERS materials. Crores of rupees have been given bribe to top officials of the OPTCl to get the order,” he alleged.
The RTI activist further alleged that the company has not also supplied genuine and technically viable materials. He said officials didn’t allow him to take photograph of the materials.
He also wanted to why Hemant Sharma has remained as the CMD of the OPTCl for the last seven years.