Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Jul 31: The Young Arunachal Movement (YAM) alleged a multi-crore scandal in the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) tenders in the state by Secretary cum Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Arunachal Rural Road Development Agency (ARRDA), Kapa Kholie and demanded that the state government and Prime Minister of India order a CBI inquiry into the case, besides termination of Kholie from his current posts.
Addressing the media here at the press club on Wednesday, YAM general secretary Tana Tamar said that Kholie, along with Chief Engineer RWD western zone Taking Welly, Chief Engineer RWD eastern zone Kago Tabio and SFAO RWD S Bowmick should be suspended from their services for free and fair inquiry by the CBI.
He said that the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) under the GoI had sanctioned 153 roads and 55 bridges in batch -I and 115 roads and 35 bridges in batch-II for the year 2018-19 under the regular PMGSY for the state, with a total cost of Rs 3882.43 crore.
“The tenders floated for all the 268 roads projects and 90 bridge projects. Unfortunately, the works are being awarded violating all the norms under the Central PWD, the standard bid documents, the guidelines in the operation manual and the advisory of MRD under the secretary cum CEO ARRDA,” he said, adding: “The pick and choose method was applied to deprive genuine firms.”
Tamar also alleged that “Kholie appointed himself as the CEO of ARRDA and later, as the CEO, again appointed himself as the chairman of the Financial Bid Evaluation Committee (FBEC) for all the PMGSY tender works.”
“How can an officer working for the state government appoint himself as CEO and later the chairman of FBEC,” Tamar questioned, while saying that “this clearly indicates his (Kholie’s) involvement in multi crore scandals.”
YAM vice chairman Tana Sona Tara said that “Kholie, as the chairman of the FBEC, has intentionally wrongly interpreted the provisions of the CPWD manual clause 20.4.3 and made recommendations for the tenders by pick and choose method instead of going by merit.”
“Two firms, namely M/s Dagmo Riba and M/s PG Construction & Consultancy tendered for the road construction from Bui to Bulo. M/s Dagmo Riba was the lowest bidder, but the work was awarded to M/s PG Construction & Consultancy,” Tara claimed, and reiterated: “It clearly shows how the FBEC headed by Kholie is into pick and choose policy.”
He said that it was the same in the construction of road project (PMGSY) from Yazali- Sakiang road of 40 km point to Pilla.
“Despite the lowest bid by M/s Ragia Ku Enterprise, the work was awarded to M/s Tamchi Kusuk,” he claimed.
Kholie in his minutes of financial bid opening had stated that, the work was awarded to M/s Tamchi Kusuk because of the justified amount, but Tara alleged that “working out of the justified amount in this instant case is totally wrong and against the provisions of the CPWD manual.”
“There is no need for preparing justification statement in case the lowest tender is less than the estimated cost put to the tender. The whole procedure of financial bid evaluation itself is wrong and has been done with mala fide intention to favour a firm by meting out injustice to the legitimate lower bidder,” Tara added.
He also questioned the completion of all evaluation, justification and minutes within a day’s time.
“On 4 March, 35 financial bids, on 6 March, 26 financial bids and on 7 March, 47 financial bids were completed in a single day. The work which takes more than a week to complete is being completed in a single day,” he said, and questioned the department on the hasty procedure.
Meanwhile, the organization said that the web portal of the department shows that all bid processes are ongoing, “but surprisingly, most of them are already completed behind the scene.”
“The secretary also failed to provide detailed information of the 358 PMGSY projects through RTI and only provided information on 197 projects,” the association claimed.
When contacted, Secretary Kholie refused to comment on the allegation, stating that the matter is subjudice in court.
However, the RWD secretary said that “financial evaluation was done by the committee and as per the rate analysis team report many works have been awarded and are in progress now.”
