HYC flags supply orders worth Rs 188 crore by Housing dept without calling for tenders

SHILLONG, Sep 19: The NPP-led MDA government has come under the scanner yet again for issuing supply orders worth crores of rupees to a firm without calling for tenders.
Referring to an RTI reply, Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) president Roy Kupar Synrem on Thursday said the Director of Housing, on February 11, 2022, invited quotation for the supply of “corrugated aluminium roofing sheet in AA3105H18 alloy of 8 feet length, 800 mm width & 0.45 mm thickness” for a tender value of approximately Rs 20 crore.
At a meeting held on March 16, 2022, the Departmental Tender Committee of the Housing Department accepted the lowest quoted rates of Kolkata-based Hariana Iron Works Pvt. Ltd at Rs 17,989 per bundle.
Subsequently, the supply order was issued on March 18 by the Director of Housing for the supply of 11,118 bundles of roofing sheets for Rs 20,00,01,702.
According to HYC, on March 25, 2022, the Departmental Tender Committee of the Housing Department, on the proposal of the Director of Housing, decided to enhance the quantity of aluminium roofing sheets to 25,790 bundles i.e. an additional 14,672 bundles to be supplied by the same supplier and for which, the Director of Housing issued a supply order for Rs 26,39,34,608 on April 4, 2022.
“Without calling for any fresh tenders for the additional 14,672 bundles of roofing sheets, the Director of Housing, Meghalaya, Shillong, had extended the supply orders to Hariana Iron Works Pvt. Ltd,” the HYC said.
Citing other instances, it said a supply order dated August 11, 2022 was issued for Rs 69,64,98,608, followed by another supply order of Rs 23,22,37,990 dated January 2, 2023. Then again, another supply order dated September 5, 2023 and involving Rs 49,72,15,960 was issued. This was followed by yet another supply order dated February 6, 2024 and amounting to Rs 19,89,94,318.
The HYC alleged that the Departmental Tender Committee, Housing Department, along with the Director of Housing, unilaterally decided to issue  supply orders to Hariana Iron Works Pvt. Ltd for an amount of Rs 188,88,81,484 without calling for any tenders or quotations.
Further, the organisation said the absence of any tendering process for supply work of such a huge amount in the present case has raised serious doubt on the transparency and integrity of the process.
“This incident involving the Housing Department in unilateral award of supply orders without public advertisements/notices constitutes a significant deviation from established governance principles. Such a lapse underscores a systematic failure in governance that raises serious concern regarding transparency, accountability, responsiveness and the potential for corruption that requires urgent attention from the authority concerned like the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and others,” the HYC said, adding it will file a formal complaint with the PAC demanding a probe into the matter and necessary corrective actions.