By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, June 17: A day after TMC youth leader from Garo Hills, Richard Marak accused the MDA Government of corruption and favouritism in awarding the Tura IT Park project to Badri Rai and Company, the implementing agency on Monday denied the allegations saying they are implementing the project after following due process.
A source from the implementing agency said on Monday that construction work is yet to begin.
Giving out details of the project, the source said an online tender was invited for the project under the PM-DevINE which is controlled directly by the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Due process in the competitive bidding was followed as per the guidelines of PM-DevINE and central agencies were part of the tendering committee,” the source said, making it clear that there is no question of favouritism since the state government is not involved in the project.
The source also revealed that the firm was selected since it had quoted the lowest bid, around Rs 15 crore lesser than the second-lowest bidder.
The source further stated that the project was approved by the Ministry of DoNER which has allocated Rs 126.94 crore for the construction of the Tura IT Park.
On Sunday, TMC youth leader Richard Marak had alleged widespread corruption, mismanagement, and favouritism taking place in the state, questioning how long the people could turn a blind eye to such blatant disregard for transparency and fairness.
Marak had demanded a comprehensive and independent investigation by a central agency to uncover the truth behind these incidents and patterns of favouritism and corruption, ensure accountability for those responsible for mismanagement and financial misconduct, review all major contracts awarded in recent years to identify systemic issues and conflicts of interest, and recommend reforms to prevent future occurrences of corruption and mismanagement.
Marak had observed that awarding another major contract to the company, despite its questionable track record, highlighted a serious lapse in judgment and oversight.