Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa government got a jolt on learning that performance bank guarantee given by the bidder of the Convention Centre was fake and the High Court of Bombay at Goa also observed that such happening was quite disturbing.
The DCR Solar Company had bagged the bid for the construction of the Convention Centre at Dona Paula. The Public-Private partnership Department also issued the letter of award to the bidder, who as per the terms and conditions formed a company and was asked to furnish performance bank guarantee of Rs 16.20 crore.
As the DCR Solar Company failed to give performance bank within the stipulated 45 days, the PPP Department gave extension of time to furnish the bank guarantee. Yet the company failed and the PPP department terminated the bid by a letter dated January 11, 2022 and forfeited bank guarantee of Rs 50 lakh.
Agitated by the PPP department’s decision, the DCR Solar Company approached the High Court of Bombay at Goa and after hearings both the parties, the Court asked the bidder to furnish the performance bank guarantee by February 22 this year.
Accordingly, the DCR Solar Company gave performance bank guarantee of Rs 16.20 crore purportedly from ICICI Bank. But when it was sent to the bank to ascertain the authenticity of the bank guarantee, it turned out to be a fake. Based on the mobile phone given on the ICICI Bank’s letterhead, the government official called on that number and a woman answered stating that it was her number and that she had not furnished any such performance bank guarantee.
In the meantime, the government officials contacted the ICICI Bank’s branch, who gave in writing that it had not given any such performance bank guarantee to the Goa government.
Following this, the PPP department filed a complaint with the Crime Branch, Ribandar against the authorised representative of the Company and also filed an application before the High Court. “In most of the cases performance bank guarantee given to the government are genuine and it is for the first time that it was found to be a fake and an attempt to cheat the government,” an official told Herald.
While hearing the application on April 11, The Court said, “At least prima facie we think that what has happened in this matter is quite disturbing.”
The Court has asked the company’s authorised representative Dipak Shah to file his reply latest by April 22, failing which he will have to remain present in the Court on April 25 and give his explanation.
