Row over PDS sugar distribution contract

SHILLONG: Snubbed in the bidding process for distributing PDS sugar in the State, a dealer, Bhaskar Barman has approached the High Court of Meghalaya appealing for disqualification of the successful bidder.
In the matter which was listed before the High Court earlier this week, the lawyer of the petitioner alleged that the lowest and the second lowest bidder were disqualified and another bidder, a cooperative society was given the contract for the month of July, August and September.
However, in the last hearing held on September 14, the petitioner Barman appealed before the High Court that their   bids should be cancelled as it was learnt that the successful bid did not fulfill the requirements of submitting valid trade license and food license.
During the hearing, the cooperative society was given two weeks’ time to file reply. It was also ordered that the cooperative society should not be allotted any further work.
The matter will again come up for hearing on September 28. Meanwhile, Barman alleged that when the matter was brought to the notice of the Food & Civil Supplies Department, it tried to overlook the issue and allotted work orders for two periods– April-June 2015 in the first week of July and July-September 2015 in the second week of July.
“The difference between both the Work Orders issued was hardly a week. This concludes that the department officials are hand in glove with the supplier – a central government controlled co-operative society,” he alleged.