VIJAYAWADA: Former Chief Minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has alleged that the YSRC was going for reverse tendering to ensure that the agency of its choice comes on board. He also alleged that the new dispensation ignored the advisory of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and did away with pre-qualification of the contracting agencies, which would pose several risks.
Speaking to the media at his residence in Undavalli on Friday, Naidu alleged, “It is not reverse tendering, but reserve tendering. They have reserved an agency already and have prepared the tender documents tailor-made for it. It was done to benefit their people.”
He found fault with the government’s decision to go for reverse tendering against the advisory of the Central Vigilance Commission. “But, the government set aside the advice and did away with pre-qualification. Instead, they brought in self-declaration even though CVC clearly stated that the qualification of agencies should be done prior to calling price bid. It startles me how the government is handling it, risking safety aspects against advices of technical experts,” he said.
“In the name of an expert committee, which is chaired by Jagan’s relative FCS Peter, they unilaterally decided to go ahead with reverse tendering even though the Centre, Polavaram Project Authority and technical experts cautioned against it. Who is Peter? He is a retired roads and buildings (R and B) engineer,” he ridiculed.
Reacting sharply to Naidu’s allegations, Water Resources minister Anil Kumar said, “Naidu claims that the price would go up through reverse tendering. But, it has been proved that the process saved Rs 58.53 crore. The same contractor who quoted 4.77 per cent higher in Naidu’s regime, quoted 15.6 per cent lesser for package 65 of Polavaram project. Had we gone ahead with Naidu government’s decisions, the money we saved would have gone into his or his aides' pockets.”