Team Herald
PANJIM: Alleging manipulation, rigging and collusive bidding for the Cyberage Laptop Scheme by a ‘cartel’, the Computer Dealers Forum of Goa (CDFG) on Friday asked Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to stall the Cyberage Laptop tender.
Addressing the media, CDFG President Siddharth Naik said, “This year 15 firms have got the contract of supplying 45,000 laptops to students in three phases. Goa government is not acting in the interest of students but in the interest of a cartel of a favoured handful that has been grabbing the cyberage tenders since inception seven years ago.”
CDFG added, “The cartel has cornered 83 percent of the cyberage scheme. So far, Rs 320 crore have been garnered by them and around Rs 600 crore revenue has been lost by Commercial Taxes Department.”
CDFG said that this year too the tender was floated for the supply of 45,000 laptops under cyberage, which is three times the annual supply, and the terms and conditions were tailor made to suit the cartel which restricted the participation of others.
“The procurement is about seven years of Goa’s consumer market size and if cornered by the cartel will affect the livelihood of computer dealers other than those who are part of the cartel,” he said.
CDFG said that the government appears to be thinking more of the benefits of the cartel then of the common computer dealers in Goa and that future action to protect their survival will be taken by CDFG if their pleas are not heard by the government.
“CDFG will not rest till it gets justice for the members,” he said.
