HYDERABAD: To facilitate participation of potential bidders from foreign countries like China and Japan, the AP government has not only rescheduled the sale of red sanders through e-tender-cum-e-auction to October 10, but has also initiated a series of measures to simplify the cumbersome process for getting statutory permissions for transporting the sold red sanders out of the country.
Sale of red sanders through e-auction was due from September 19 to 26. It was rescheduled to new dates following a communique from Chinese embassy that they want at least 15 days time after the road shows and pre-bid meetings in China, scheduled to be held in second week of September, so that potential bidders from that country can make informed decision, prepare and participate in more numbers.
As of today, the number of potential bidders from China, who had visited several stockyards of forest department in Chittoor and Kadapa districts of the state, where the red sanders were stocked and readied for auction was 109, that is more than 75 per cent of the total 140 foreign visitors to the red sander depots.
The second reason that factored into the rescheduling of the e-auction was certain technical issues pertaining to EXIM policy and the forest department officials held meetings with Secretary, department of commerce, in Delhi on September 5 to iron out the issue.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests AV Joseph and APCCF PK Jha told mediapersons on Saturday that a team of forest department officials will be visiting China and Japan from September 16 to conduct road shows and pre-bid meetings.
“It will help in ensure more participation from foreign bidders,” they said.
“It has been decided to provide police protection to the consignment on the request of purchase till it was despatched from any port in the State.
Normally any delay on payment of the due amount after successful bid, heavy penalties are imposed. For the first time it was decided that in case of any delay on part of the State government beyond three months in obtaining needed permission except delay on the account of ‘force majeure’ to pay an interest up to 6 per cent,” they said.