PANJIM: The Police Training School (PTS) in Valpoi is seeming to look more like a Police Graft School. Close on the heels of Herald’s having exposed that bribes are being taken by instructors not to harass new trainees, comes another shocker. The Principal of PTS A V Deshpande had ordered electrical work Rs 14 lakhs to an electrical contractor apparently without floating any tender.
Quotations for the work were sought two months after it was completed on oral orders and work orders for 5 of the 6 nos works issued on January 2014, a full four months after competition of work, all this with no tenders and competitive bidding. Work orders for the sixth work have still not been issued an year and half after the competition of the work
Now, in a letter, a copy of which is with Herald, the contractor has threatened to take legal action against Deshpande and the police department, for his bills, pending since September of a little over Rs 11.11 lakhs.
In the letter, the contractor, Vishwas Dumatkar, proprietor of Siddhi Electricals of Porvorim has accused, Deshpande, a superintendent of police, promoted to the IPS, of “duping” him. He states that the electrical work was carried out on the “oral instructions” of the PTS principal, conveyed through another officer. He has also said in the letter that one police officer K. M Maralkar was sent to convince the contractor to take up the work and promise that SP Deshpande would settle the bills within a couple of months. A copy of the letter has also been sent to the director general of police.
“Now it is confirmed that my bills will be not settled and you are duping me for the past several months. As such, I am compelled to inform you that if the bill amount of Rs. 11,11,287 is not settled within the period of 15 days then I will be liable to seek legal advice to get my payments along with interest @ 15% on the date of completion of work i.e. 26.09.2013 onwards” the last paragraph of four page letter to the SP reads.
The letter states that work was carried out between 16.09.2013 and 26.09. 2013 without any work orders. On 19.11.2013, Deshpande asked for quotations for five of the works, a full two months after the work was completed, clear evidence that orders were issued without receiving quotations or issuing work orders. The contractor submitted quotations on 28.11 and work orders were finally issued on 03.01.2014, almost four months after the work was completed. The bizarre story doesn’t end here. On 13.01. 2014 Deshpande asked for the quotation of a sixth work of rewiring the male barrack, which was completed in September. The work order for this has still not been issued till April 2015.
Herald spoke to the officer SP Deshpande reports to, Deputy Inspector of General V Ranganathan who is heading the inquiry into alleged irregularities and allegations of bribe taking in the PTS. He said that he would submit his report within a week. When Herald informed him of this contractor’s letter, he said that he would bring it in the ambit of his inquiry
“All allegations will be investigated in my inquiry. I have started it, some of the documents have already been sourced from the PTS and I am meeting the concerned people in the PTS one by one” Ranganathan said. (End of part 1)
(Part 2: Tomorrow will unravel more shocking facts about this graft case)
