CHENNAI: Eight municipalities under the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) have cancelled a total of 50 tenders worth Rs 2.18 crore due to procedural lapses in the tendering process. Disciplinary action has been initiated against six to seven officials from Kotagiri, Chengam, and Udumalaipettai municipalities, a senior official told TNIE.
Officials said that most of these are open tenders for minor civic works, but with a short bidding period. The highest number of cancellations was in Udumalaipettai municipality, where 30 tenders, mostly related to stormwater drain maintenance, were scrapped. These tenders were floated on July 10 with the bid opening scheduled for July 14. Director of Municipal Administration P Madhusudhan Reddy told TNIE that the irregularities came to light on July 13, when officials found that nearly 85 tenders across 11 urban local bodies had been floated with a short bidding period.
Tenders must be floated the day after the municipal commissioner’s approval to ensure bidders get the mandatory 15-day period to submit bids. However, in these cases, the tenders were uploaded four to seven days after approval while retaining the original bid-opening date, effectively reducing the bidding window.
“Since the tenders were uploaded after a delay without revising the bid-opening date, the mandatory 15-day bidding period was reduced, affecting fair competition. It is more of a procedural lapse and not a case of corruption or malpractice,” a senior official said.
Following a review meeting with commissioners of urban local bodies on July 14, officials were instructed either to extend the bid submission deadline or cancel the tenders and issue fresh notifications. Accordingly, Srivilliputhur municipality, Devakottai municipality and Dindigul corporation extended the submission deadlines, while the remaining eight municipalities cancelled the tenders and will issue fresh notifications.
“In emergency situations, such as a pipeline burst requiring immediate repairs, there is a provision to float a short-term tender after obtaining approval from the competent higher authorities. However, where such procedures are not followed, action will be taken,” a top official said. Apart from Udumalaipettai, six tenders were cancelled in Manapparai municipality, three in Kotagiri, two each in Komarapalayam and Punjaipuliampatti, and one each in Chengam, Dharmapuri, Kangeyam, Pollachi, Perambalur, Sankarankovil and Tiruvallur municipalities.