A week after city Congress president Sanjay Nirupam alleged irregularities in the city traffic police awarding the towing contract to Vidarbha Infotech Pvt. Ltd. for seven years, details have emerged indicating tender conditions were violated.
According to the documents available, an e-tender was issued on April 8, and bidders were required to have experience in towing vehicles of five years or more.
A condition in the Request for Proposal (RFP) stipulated that the bidder must clearly state the number of successfully implemented projects in PSU or government or corporates that involve in-service delivery in India, as well as the number of successfully implemented or ongoing projects that involve lifting of vehicle or cargo by crane or hydraulic arm, or in towing operations. Both numbers were for the last five years as on March 31, 2016.
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On May 27, 2016, JCP (Traffic) Milind Bharambe issued a work order in favour of Vidarbha Infotech that said it was in accordance with the RFP issued. The work order said the firm will provide towing van services on design, build, operate, maintain basis for two quarters.
MoA modified: Nirupam
However, Mr. Nirupam furnished the Memorandum of Association with the company, submitted to Registrar of Companies (ROC), in which Object 4 lists towing as the company’s activity. The MoA shows that Object 4 was added vide ‘special resolution no. 01 passed unanimously by the members of the company in the extraordinary general meeting of the company held on July 22, 2016’.
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He said, “The object was added after the contract was awarded to the company, which proves it didn’t have the required experience. Police and Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) officers have formed a cartel to help a particular company. All these officers and companies are from Nagpur.”
The CMO has given a clean chit to Pravin Darade, an IAS officer at the CMO alleged to have links with Vidarbha Infotech. “How can the CMO give a clean chit without conducting an inquiry?” he asked.