CHENNAI: Issuing tender for a value that is nearly double the budget estimate, awarding tender despite there being only a single bidder with questionable expertise, and investing in two different technologies that are not compatible with one another, the State Home Secretary has raised a torrent of questions with the Director General of Police, seeking clarifications for the decisions taken while purchasing walkie-talkies for Tamil Nadu Police.
In his letter dated August 23, delivered through a special messenger, Additional Chief Secretary Niranjan Mardi, the Secretary of Home Department, raised a volley of questions with DGP TK Rajendran, starting with the tender amount.
In the budget estimate for 2017-18, the government had allocated only Rs 47.56 crore under the Modernisation of Police Force Scheme for that year. But the tender amount was for more than Rs 83.45 crore. “While so, how the tender was floated and awarded for a sum of Rs 83,45,87,710, which exceeds far more than the amount likely to be allotted (sic),” the communication asked.
Further, there was only one bidder despite this being a big-ticket purchase, which did not even submit mandatory documents, including dealer possession licence for importing the equipment.
Instead of submitting these before signing the contract agreement and purchase order, the firm was allowed to give only an undertaking that these would be furnished by July 2017.
‘ADGP had raised issue’
The Home Secretary noted that the ADGP (technical services) had raised the issue of the license agreement yet to be issued by the Dept of Telecom. That being the case, what was the necessity to float the tender “involving a huge amount”?