ITANAGAR, 28 Sep: The Arunachal Pradesh Tribal Contractor Welfare Association (APTCWA) has submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Pema Khandu, seeking his intervention to “immediately relocate the regionaloffice (RO) from Tezpur (Assam) to Itanagar.”
The association stated in the memorandum that the current location of the RO in Tezpur is causing significant inconvenience to the contractors and stakeholders of Arunachal Pradesh.
“It is both time-consuming and expensive for the contractors and stakeholders to travel all the way to Tezpur in Assam, especially when the matter pertains to Arunachal Pradesh,” the memorandum stated, adding that the “work would be more efficiently handled if the RO is situated within the state.”
“Several instances have been reported where the regional officer is not present in the office, leading to delays in addressing matters related to tender works, and in such cases, sometimes contractors and stakeholders are told to return later, which adds to their frustration,” it said, and added that the APTCWA would “discontinue cooperation with the RO in Tezpur and its staff if it does not shift back to Itanagar.”
“Currently, many private companies from outside Arunachal Pradesh are awarded tenders in the ministry of road transport & highway (MoRTH), the BRO and other government bodies, although these private companies are operating in Arunachal Pradesh and utilising the state’sresources. However, the GST paid on their work benefits goes to other states, resulting in loss of potential tax revenue for the state of Arunachal Pradesh,” the memorandum read.
It further stated that “all the outsider private companies taking tender from MoRTH or any other departmental works in Arunachal Pradesh should have the GST number of Arunachal Pradesh, which would ensure that the state receives its rightful share of taxes, which will instantly enhance the state’s revenue.”
It said also that “mandatory agreement and undertaking regarding the project work with regional officer and chief engineer must be done within the state in Itanagar, so that transparency and accountability in state projects exist.”
The APTCWA observed that “some companies bid for state tenders at 15% and below 15% in MoRTH, BRO and NHIDCL below the estimate project cost, or even lower.
While this may seem advantageous in the short term, such bids often undermine the quality and sustainability of the development work being carried out.”
It said that “it is evident that when the projects are undertaken at substantially reduced costs, there is a higher risk that the quality of materials and workmanship will be compromised. This ultimately leads to substandard infrastructure that may require frequent repairs, increasing long-term costs for the state.
“The practice of bidding too low hampers the state’soverall progress and development. Therefore, we propose that any company bidding at 20% or below the estimated cost should be required to provide a detailed justification for their bid, which shall include a breakdown of how they intend to complete the project within the reduced budget without compromising quality and assurance that the project will be completed on time and according to required standards,” the memorandum said.
