While most of the tenders for 37 works issued by the MV-79 Irrigation Department have been successfully completed, only work number 3 has been the subject of intense controversy and discussion for the last few days. According to the information, Ganjam district contractor Rajendra Bishoi had submitted the lowest bid for the said work. He was also selected as L-1 as per government rules. Later, the department fixed a date for the execution of the contract, but he did not appear at the departmental office on the scheduled day.
After the scheduled deadline for the execution of the contract passed, Mr. Bishoi approached the district administration. Stating that there was a risk of attack, threats and hooliganism against him in the MV-79 area, he demanded security. In view of this, tight security arrangements were made by the police administration at the MV-79 Irrigation Department office on the last day of the contract execution today. The IIC and SI of the local police station were present at the office throughout the day and monitored the situation.
The department’s sitting engineer Sanoj Sahu asked Mr. Bishoi why he did not appear even though three dates were fixed for the execution of the contract and asked him to submit any proof of this. But he could not provide any such satisfactory proof. As a result, the department has clarified that since the stipulated time limit has expired, there is no provision in the rules to execute the contract now. Along with this, the department has informed that all aspects of the incident will be thoroughly investigated and further steps will be taken. On the other hand, members of the MV-79 Contractors’ Association said that before the tender, all the contractors had met and agreed to submit bids for all the works. But since only one bid was submitted, they gathered in front of the office to discuss it. They claimed that no hooliganism or attack took place there.
The Tarkeshwar Contractors’ Association has raised questions about this process. There is a lot of discussion on how the contractor concerned can be called back to the office even after the stipulated contract deadline has passed and the process of contract execution can be continued. Similarly, if the L-1 contractor did not execute the contract within 20 days, then an explanation has been demanded as to why the department did not give the next eligible (L-2) bidder a chance and why it waited for so many days. Today, the situation remained completely peaceful due to the presence of the police in the office premises. While the contractors expressed their views before the media, it was clarified that the department has also taken steps as per the rules.
