Addressing media persons, Congress spokesperson Sunil Kawthankar exposed how tenders worth Rs 328.82 crore were awarded fraudulently, by manipulating, rigging and throwing all laws, rules and procedures to the wind to siphon off and pocket money from the public exchequer in the name of development.
“In the next one to two days I will approach the Lokayukta with the scam,” he said, adding that a letter has been sent to Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar seeking his intervention in the functioning of the Electricity Department and demanding a vigilance inquiry.
The works include a Rs 183.31 crore tender for electrical works in sub-transmissions and HT and LT distribution network, awarded to Larsen and Toubro.
The second contract deals with purchase of 20,000 electric poles at an estimated cost of Rs 142 crore from a private dealer, KEI Industries limited. The work includes conversion of existing 11 kv overhead bare conductor lines in GED network to 11 kv aerial bunched cable network. Herald had exposed this scam last week.
“In the case of the first tender, which was issued fraudulently, the Goa State Works Board (GSWB) had ordered retendering of the contract, following my letter to the Chief Secretary in May,” Kawthankar said, adding that despite this, the Power Minister overruled the GSWB directions and went ahead and tendered the work to Larsen and Toubro, which was the highest bidder amongst the three companies that had quoted for the project.
“Re-tendering was required, as the financial bids were visible on the department website during the opening of techno-commercial bids,” he explained.
In the case of the Rs 145.51 crore scam, GED violated the HC order dictating that purchases of such nature have to be made from Handicrafts Corporation, thus incurring losses. “The tender documents were drafted violating the Central Vigilance Commission guidelines, to ensure that the KEI Industries Limited gets the tender,” Kawthankar charged.
