HC notice to Rly Ministry over ‘favour’

Following serious allegations in awarding tender for cleanliness of railway stations and trains, the Delhi High Court has served a notice to the Railway Ministry on a writ petition by sanitation contractors.

The contractors who are in the existing business of station cleanliness and On Board Housekeeping Services (OBHS) for years knocked the judiciary complaining that eligibility criteria for tenders during the last few months have not only arbitrary and unreasonable but also been deliberately “designed” to keep out contractors who are otherwise eligible and qualified to undertake the works, restricting fair competition.

The notices were issued to the Railway Board last week on August 8 from the court of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chandrashekhar seeking a reply till October3, 2018.

Recently a ‘customised’ tender done in the similar fashion was awarded to a top politician.

“Centre has advocated for More Players for Lesser Cost and Quality. For instance in northern railways about 20 sanitation companies engaged in sanitation contracts are out from the business except for one or two. In layman terms so far they were small tender pertaining to Rs 4-5 crores where most of them used to fit the bill. But now only those beyond Rs 20 crore would be eligible hence this smacks of crony tenders,” said one of the petitioner.

The petitioners have cited the “new” policy violates the principles and regulations laid down by B S Sudhir Chandra Committee in 2001 constituted by Railways with regard to system of tendering and open tenders.

“The criteria is not only arbitrary and irrational but has been done with ulterior motive and malafide intention as out of a number of contractors who have been engaged in similar work for the past so many years with Railways only two would qualify the technical bid for being considered for the next stage of the financial bid,” alleged the petitioners Telecon India & Others versus Railway Board.