HYDERABAD: BRS MLA and former minister T Harish Rao on Sunday alleged that a contractor cartel had been operating in the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) tenders and accused the Congress government of allowing manipulation in the bidding process.
In a post on X, Harish claimed that a recent SCCL tender closed at -12%, the first negative bid recorded after the introduction of the Site Visit Certificate system. He said the development exposed what he described as manipulation and cartelisation in the tender process.
According to him, the financial bid opening of the SRP OC-II overburden (OB) tender was postponed seven times after the BRS raised concerns about irregularities. The repeated postponements, he said, had created suspicion that attempts were being made to facilitate a contractor cartel and influence the bidding process.
Harish alleged that sustained pressure from the BRS eventually forced authorities to open the financial bids without allowing the formation of a contractor ring, resulting in the tender closing at -12%.
“When the contractor ring collapses, genuine competition returns and rates fall,” he said, alleging that earlier tenders finalised at +7 to +10% were the result of manipulation rather than market competition.
The BRS leader claimed that before the introduction of the Site Visit Certificate clause, OB tenders in Singareni were regularly finalised through competitive bidding at -7 to -20%, saving substantial public funds. After the clause was introduced, he alleged, tenders began to be awarded at higher rates, causing financial losses to the public sector company.
Harish also alleged that the contractor cartel was operating under the influence of Srujan Reddy, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s brother-in-law.
He said the Site Visit Certificate requirement undermines the objective of transparent online tendering, as it requires bidders to obtain a certificate from company officials before submitting bids, enabling identification of participants and creating scope for exclusion and coercion.
According to him, delays and irregularities in OB works have also affected coal production in Singareni, forcing power utilities to purchase electricity from the open market at higher prices.
The senior BRS leader said this had triggered a chain reaction affecting coal production, electricity generation and public finances, ultimately increasing the burden on consumers.
Demanding transparency, Harish called for the removal of the Site Visit Certificate clause and sought a thorough investigation into the alleged contractor cartelisation.
Women have to work twice as hard: KTR
BRS working president KT Rama Rao felicitated women achievers at Telangana Bhavan on Sunday on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Addressing the gathering, Rama Rao said male dominance continued to persist in several spheres, including politics. He observed that while a man may need to put in 100% effort to succeed, a woman often has to work twice as hard to receive the same recognition, and urged women to overcome such challenges with determination.