Cyberage tenders: GIBA demands CBI probe
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, MARCH 29
The Goa IT Business Association (GIBA) on Monday demanded CBI enquiry into alleged irregularities in the issuance of Cyberage tenders.
The GIBA President Prashant Cuncolienkar addressing a press conference along with GIBA Secretary Shrivallabh Sardessai has alleged gross violations in the tender.
Cuncolienkar charged that tender terms were drawn to suit interest of select few — four suppliers — “cartel.”
“Software order was placed on a holiday to favour selected party,” he alleged. While the department displayed supreme efficiency in even placing order on a holiday, “it failed to reply to our application seeking information under RTI on February 2 and subsequent application made on March 17”, he said further adding that this behaviour of the department is suspicious. “It means they want to hide certain information regarding previous tenders for obvious reasons.
Pointing out further discrepancies in the tender, he said in case of CLP tender, which is for supplying 4320 computers, they prescribed turnover criteria as Rs 5 crore but in case of Cyberage tender for 11000 computers, turnover criteria was reduced to Rs 4 crore.
“Right from the inception of this Cyberage scheme terms and conditions have been tailor made to facilitate and ensure back door entry of certain party that still calls the shots,” he alleged demanding CBI enquiry into alleged irregularities in tendering.
The complaints to higher authorities have fallen on deaf ears whereas Education Minister Babush Monseratte refused to grant us audience and hence we were compelled to move high court, he said.
Moreover, GIBA also pointed out that under Cyberage scheme though the government had to bear huge cost on account of giving PCs at subsidized rate, no efforts were made to ensure that only one PC per family given even after CAG pointed out this anomaly in implementation of the scheme, he added.
It is also grievance of GIBA that computer dealers stand the risk of losing their business as also thousand Goan youth of their employment if the “cartel” is again chosen to supply under computer lab scheme allegedly through mock tendering and evaluation method.
