Login Register
Follow Us

Sirsa: Contractors allege foul play in bidding process

Show comments

Our Correspondent

Sirsa, June 21

A bidding session took place at the Municipal Council on Wednesday to clear debris from the buildings of the old Education Department, near the city police station. However, the event was marked by disagreements among contractors.

They alleged that they arrived on time but were barred entry as the officials closed the gates. They said they suspected foul play. The officials countered by saying they stopped those people from, entering who had arrived late and provided video evidence. Notably, the Education Department buildings, long vacant and in a dilapidated state, stand prominently opposite the police station. The Municipal Council intends to replace them with a multipurpose parking lot. A similar bidding attempt had failed a year ago when contractors forfeited their security deposits.

On Wednesday, contractors were given until 11am to participate in the new bid, requiring a security deposit of Rs 50,000 through online, cash or bank draft payments. Early arrivals were accommodated at Executive Officer Atar Singh’s office before the gate closed. Outside, around 30 contractors protested exclusion, claiming favouritism and irregularities. They alleged some were turned away despite being on the list for lacking a bank draft. Officials declined cash or online payments after the deadline.

After the bidding ended at noon, all contractors gathered at EO Atar’s office for discussions. Tensions rose during a 15-minute exchange. Contractors argued they were ready to bid Rs 10 lakh but alleged officials favoured a bid of Rs 4,32,000. One contractor noted accepting a similar contract last year for Rs 9,00,000. EO Atar questioned why the security deposit was forfeited and why the work was incomplete.

Contractors Jagroop Singh and Dinesh flayed the same-day bid advertisement in the newspaper as opposed to those issued typically a week in advance, suggesting suspicions of collusion. Meanwhile, Atar explained that the bidding for debris removal was to start at 11 am, and contractors arriving within 10 minutes were included.

#Sirsa

Show comments
Show comments

Trending News

Also In This Section


Top News


View All

CSIR develops compact, low-cost tractor for small farmers to replace bullock plough

Compact tractor can undertake farming work in a fraction of the time taken by tradition bullock plough

Ludhiana: Pushed off train, Jammu youth’s Army dreams dashed

GRP lodge FIR after month, kin rue delay

Indian electrician wins Rs 2.25 crore jackpot in Dubai

Nagendrum Borugadda, from Andhra Pradesh, has been saving AED 100 with National Bonds through direct debit since 2019

After ‘popcorn rocks’, NASA now spots ‘potato’ in space, calls it ‘space potato’

According to a June 18 post on the official NASA website, after months of driving, Perseverance arrived at ‘Bright Angel’, discovering oddly textured rock unlike any the rover has seen before

Meta AI rolls out in India on WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram

With this, people can use Meta AI in feeds and chats across its apps to get things done, create content, and deep dive into topics, without having to leave the app they are using


Most Read In 24 Hours

2

Comment

The two pillars of McLeodganj

5

Punjab

‘PM Modi threat to democracy’

8

Comment

Selecting the first Army Chief