HYDERABAD: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has said that the tenders invited by the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) for the auction of Naini coal blocks in Angul district of Odisha have been cancelled.
He has instructed the officials to invite fresh tenders on a “benefit of doubt” basis, as concerns arose following reports in a section of the press.
Speaking to reporters here on Sunday, he said that the tenders were finalised by the SCCL Board and that ministers had no role in the process. He also refuted the allegations that the ‘site visit’ condition was incorporated in the tender to favour certain companies.
“I inquired after the newspaper report about the site visit condition. In fact, all public sector undertakings (PSUs) will incorporate that condition in their tender documents for transparent assessment and prepare the bid document,” Bhatti said and dismissed the report that the ‘site visit’ condition was mentioned only in the Naini tender document.
It is a matter of fact that earlier many government-owned companies like Coal India Limited, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, NCL India Limited and others made it mandatory to undertake site visits or encouraged site visits by the bidders in various types of tenders, including MDO.
Media reports a cock-and-bull story: Bhatti
In fact, the Ministry of Coal also incorporated a provision for a site visit when it auctioned the coal blocks across the country.
The Ministry of Coal’s Standard Tender Document stated: “Prior to submission of a technical bid, the bidders are encouraged to undertake the site visit to the coal mine, at their own cost and risk and ascertain for themselves the site conditions, location, communication, climate, availability of power, applicable laws and regulations, and any other matter considered relevant by them in the manner provided herein.”
Responding to reports in a section of the media that the Naini coal block tender issue led to the telecast of a story on a vernacular news channel and the subsequent ordering of a probe by the state government, Vikramarka said that he had instructed Singareni to cancel the tenders immediately. He described the media reports as a ‘cock-and-bull story’.
“I entered politics with a specific purpose and not to accumulate wealth. I am here to protect public assets from looters and bandits,” he said.
It was reported in a section of the media that a vernacular news channel had telecast a report against a minister, allegedly because both parties were competing to secure the Naini coal block tender.
According to the report, Vikramarka, a firm belonging to the brother of another minister, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, and the owner of a TV news channel had shown interest in securing the coal block. One of the tender conditions required participating firms to visit the site before submitting bids.
Vikramarka said the condition was included to ensure that companies understood the tender process and that there was nothing wrong with it. However, allegations were made that the government did not issue field visit certificates to certain companies to prevent them from participating in the tender process. It was further alleged that the TV channel owner, who wanted to participate in the tender, aired a story against minister Venkat Reddy. The story reportedly contained defamatory remarks against the minister and a woman IAS officer.
Taking serious note of the telecast, the government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter. Later, the SIT registered cases against an input editor and a reporter of the news channel. A newspaper report stated that the TV channel aired the report only because of the competition to grab Naini coal block tender.
The deputy chief minister alleged that a report published in a section of the media was a deliberate attempt to target him due to his close association with former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy. “As I was a close associate of the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the newspaper published the story against me out of anger towards Rajasekhara Reddy,” Vikramarka alleged.
He warned that he would not remain silent if attempts were made to malign officials, ministers, or the government through such reports. He reiterated that he would protect public assets from ‘vultures’.
Vikramarka said he responded only to ensure that the people of the state knew the truth behind the report and added that he would soon present complete details and explain all aspects clearly.
CM to media: Seek my views before publishing reports
Khammam: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday urged the media to exercise restraint and responsibility in its reporting, cautioning that writings or visuals presented either directly or indirectly could end up aiding forces inimical to public interest. He appealed to media organisations to verify facts thoroughly before publishing any report.
Stating that he is available to the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, he said he is always ready to provide clarification to the media whenever required. “Before writing anything against our ministers, seek clarification from me,” he said. He was speaking during his visit to Khammam district. He issued a strong message to two media owners, advising them not to malign his ministers over their internal disputes.
Responding to recent news reports on SCCL tenders and allegations against ministers, he said that if media owners have disagreements, they should resolve them privately and not damage the reputation of his ministers.