BARIPADA: Did Baripada Municipality pay more than required for sanitation wares meant for a special drive during a purchase made in 2019? Findings of an RTI application at least suggest so. RTI activist Samar Ranjan Das who had filed an application alleges that items like waste bins and trolley rickshaws were purchased from private agencies through tenders but at prices higher than market rates.
In March 2019, the municipality invited quotations for procurement of 20 trolley rickshaws and movable Sintex waste bins of two specifications - 90 bins of 660 litre each and 400 bins of 240 litre each. As per reply to the RTI applications, all items were bought at rates which Das claims are higher than market prices. Each trolley rickshaw was procured at Rs 21,610 whereas the current market price is about Rs 18,999, leading to total extra payment of Rs 52,220 apart from GST.
Similarly, for the 660 litre garbage bins, each was brought at Rs 28,305 against the market price of Rs 14,000. For 90 such bins, civic body paid almost double the amount of Rs 25.47 lakh while the actual price stands at about Rs 12.60 lakh. Each of the 240 litre bin was purchased at Rs 5,337 while its market price is Rs 4,500, says activist Das, a resident of Naharpada in Ward-11 who took the RTI route to seek details of the civic body’s expenditure on the said items.
Das said the information recently shared by the municipality brought to fore stark deviations in purchase prices. Former councillor of Ward-26, Laxmidhar Haboda says a resolution was approved before dissolution of council body that Sintex items should be directly procured from the manufacturing company but the municipality apparently purchased those from another firm at higher cost.
Contacted, Collector Vineet Bharadwaj said he has directed Sub-Collector and in-charge executive officer of Baripada Municipality P Anvesha Reddy to investigate the matter further. “Necessary action will be taken based on the inquiry report,” he said. Meanwhile, Mayurbhanj observer of Congress Sudarshan Das came down on Baripada municipality for irregularities in implementation of development programmes in the town. As per RTI reports, there is a huge discrepancy in the prices at which Sintex dustbins and trolley rickshaws were procured, he said. Das demanded a Vigilance probe into the irregularities.