CBI for blacklisting Selvel Media

Sandeep Rana
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 23

The CBI, Chandigarh, has written to the UT Adviser-cum-Chief Vigilance Officer to blacklist Selvel Media and Outdoor Communications, which had entered into a cartel formation while submitting bid documents for tenders for the maintenance and operation of city toilets with the Municipal Corporation (MC)in 2007.

The premier investigating agency had earlier written to the Administration in December 2016 and July 2018 for the same. In its latest communication sent to the Adviser this month, the agency has said despite lapse of more than two years, the present status in this regard had not been informed.

It further asked the Administration to inform about the status regarding blacklisting the two companies.

Earlier, an audio sting regarding purported conversation between an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of the MC and the Selvel official while advising ways to the latter to evade the penalty amount had come to light.

Sources said the MC had earlier debarred Selvel for two years. But after blacklisting, the companies will not be able to participate in tendering process in other states too. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had later allowed Selvel to participate in a tender floated by the MC for refurbishment of public toilets and construction of new public toilets, besides operation and maintenance of all old and new public toilets in the city under the PPP mode for 15 years.

According to information, the company was to deposit licence fee of around Rs 12 lakh in connection with the contract of public toilet blocks. Later, the company deposited the fees, but still some amount of interest, along with service tax, was pending. Inventories of toilets were also not returned to the MC in same condition. Therefore, the Commissioner had ordered debarring of the firm.

In another case, the company is yet to pay around Rs 16.51 crore in connection with the advertisement fee to the civic body.

The CBI had registered a case against the MC and the company officials for causing a loss of around Rs 13.66 crore to the state exchequer by awarding tenders to the company for maintaining sanitation of 86 public toilets for five years in 2007.