NEW DELHI: Days after Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Vinai Saxena allowed a probe into government’s procurement of 1,000 low-floor Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses, Saxena said that Arvind Kejriwal-led government has “grossly violated” the General Financial Rules (GFR) in the process and it was only after a report by the DTC’s deputy commissioner “exposing the wrongdoings” that the transport department scrapped the tender, officials said on Tuesday.
The L-G and the government have been at loggerheads since the CBI probe ordered by Saxena into the Delhi excise policy, which led to raids at Deputy CM Manish Sisodia’s residence. With another CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in procurement of buses being allowed, the tussle has only worsened with transport minister Kailash Gahlot now being in the line of fire.
A few days ago, the L-G had recommended a probe in the procurement of buses based on a complaint received by his office alleging irregularities in the bidding and tendering process. The complaint alleged that the appointment of Gahlot as the chairman of the committee for tendering process was done in a “pre-mediated” manner.
According to officials, the files show that there were certain irregularities, which were also endorsed by the then additional chief secretary but Gahlot did not himself sign the file noting and instead made his secretary sign the report.
Interestingly, the official added, the deviations from the specifications of the ‘request for proposal (RFP)’ in violation of the rules were already approved by the managing director, DTC and the transport minister himself.
“Gahlot on November 6, 2019, a day before it was placed before the DTC board for approval --- on November 7, 2019 --- had approved the specifications,” the official said.However, no reaction was available from the Delhi government or Gahlot’s office on the same.
The file notings, officials said, show that the DTC had floated the tender for procurement of 1,000 buses and it was a single tender for supply of 1,000 BS-IV buses.In the pre bid, the quantity of 1,000 buses was bifurcated into 400 BS-IV and 600 BS-VI buses but the tender still remained one only and the bidders could have made.“The notings clearly say that for the above mentioned (in the report) reasons, it is recommended that the DTC should scrap the tender and should call fresh bids without any delay,” the official said.