The BJP on Monday wrote to Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal demanding a CBI inquiry into the alleged DTC bus scam, worth ₹5,000 crore, highlighting some of the “grave observations” made by a committee formed to assess it.
BJP Rohini MLA Vijender Gupta, who filed the complaint, said the committee had recommended scrapping the tender of the AMC of buses pointing to a “criminal conspiracy” and “connivance between the bus suppliers and the transport minister” in the tendering process.
“The committee underlined the need to take special measures to ensure that there is competition in the tendering process to avoid monopoly pricing. However, it found that such concerns were not addressed when the DTC floated tender for the purchase of the AMC. The tendering process was restrictive in nature leading to cartelisation of the bid,” Mr. Gupta wrote.
“The committee detected a fraud in eligibility conditions of this tender and noted that it is apparent that splitting the tender between purchase of buses and purchase of AMC of the buses did not make any difference to the number of players applying to the tender for the AMC contract,” he stated.
Mr. Gupta alleged that the two companies that were finalised for the tender of purchase of buses “knew in advance” that they would get the tender for the AMC as well.
The tender for the AMC was done by the DTC itself to “commit a fraud of ₹3,500 crores” and it did not appoint a consultant. The panel finding in this issue is proof of criminal conspiracy which can be unearthed by the CBI only, Mr. Gupta stated.
“In its recommendations, it [the committee] has advised scrapping of the entire process. Yet, it is surprising that despite a mountain of evidence, in its conclusion it asserts that there is no prima facie material to impute criminal misconduct attributable to any public official,” Mr. Gupta said.
“The committee, despite its findings, seems to have been influenced or pressurised to reach a conclusion that allows the guilty to evade justice. By simply recommending scrapping of the deal, it is providing an exit for those involved in causing lapses and deviations in the bid,” Mr. Gupta added, demanding that the matter be referred to the CBI.
