The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's own fire brand leader Devji Patel put the government on mat in Assembly during zero hour on Thursday alleging that top technical officials posted in the main office of the State agricultural marketing Mandi board are indulging in obliging their favourite contractors and that large money exchanged hands in awarding contract for construction of godowns of Chhattisgarh Cooperative Marketing Federation.
Patel alleged that while the contracts for construction of godowns at sub mandi Dondi lohara and Madi Durg were awarded at 6 percent and 8 percent above prevalent SOR rates, whereas contract for 37 godowns of Marketing Federation was given at 16 to 20 percent above SOR rates. He also demanded a probe to unearth the nexus between Markfed officials and contractors, alleging that contracts were awarded to selected favourite contractors after relaxing/ changing norms of the contract.
In his reply, agriculture minister Chandrashekhar Sahu told the house that since tenders were invited through e-tendering process, there was hardly any chance to change the tender norms. As far as the charges of making groups of contractors was concerned it was done just to get the work completed in time as Markfed which had already deposited the money requested for speedy completion of the work. All contractors except one who participated in the tendering process were allotted work. Turning down the member's demand for a probe, Sahu told the house that while awarding contract the committee also took into account that quoted rates were appropriate or not as some times bidders quote unusually lower rates just to spoil the entire process.