Opinion divided over choice of company
By Our Reporter
Shillong: A major controversy has erupted over the tender for procurement of the remaining 70 number of JNNURM buses in the State.
Official sources on Thursday revealed that there is a tussle over the allotment of the tender for supplying the remaining number of JNNURM buses which has been allotted to the State under the Centrally-sponsored project.
It has been informed that there are certain sections of the bureaucracy who are pushing for allotment of the contract to Tata Motors.
But there is opposition to this lobby since Tata buses do not comply with certain requirements necessary in the JNNURM buses, official sources revealed.
Moreover, the sources also revealed that the group which is opposing allotment of the contract to Tata Motors is in favour of the awarding the contract to Ashok Leyland.
Sources said that second group is in favour of Ashok Leyland since the buses made by the company conforms to the necessary requirements. The company had, earlier, supplied the buses which are currently in operation in the State, the sources added.
The sources revealed that MUDA has already called the tender twice for supply of the remaining JNNURM buses. While two parties had bid for the tender on the first instance, only a single party had bid for the tender on the second occasion.
Meanwhile, the sources have informed that MUDA has referred the matter to the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to take a final call on selecting the company to supply the buses after failing to arrive at a consensus in the selection of the company.
However, MUDA’s decision to refer the issue to the SPV has raised serious questions, the sources said, adding that as per the provisions of the scheme, once the SPTS buses had become operational the SPV ceased to function. A senior government official, while raising his objection, said that referring the matter to the SPV was uncalled for since it was no longer a legal body.
With so much controversy rallying around the procurement of the remaining buses, the sources pointed out that it was unlikely that the remaining JNNURM buses would be procured unless the controversy was resolved at the earliest.