New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) The request for proposal (RFP) conditions were changed for procuring 1000 low floor DTC buses, the tender of which was finally scrapped by the Kejriwal government following red flags raised in a report, sources said on Tuesday.
The report by a deputy commissioner of Delhi Transport Commissioner(DTC) was submitted to the government in November 2019 but it formed the basis on which a complaint of irregularities in bus procurement was recently recommended to be clubbed with an ongoing CBI probe into the matter, they said.
No immediate reaction of Delhi government was available on the issue. However, the ruling AAP had earlier rejected that there was any irregularities in the bus procurement process.
“The Delhi government scraped the tender process for procurement of 1000 low floor buses of DTC after a comprehensive report by the DTC deputy commissioner exposed the irregularities,” claimed the sources.
Leader of opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri charged the “irregularities” in bus procurement were exposed after which the tender was scrapped by the Kejriwal government.
The file for scrapping of the tender was not signed by the Transport minister of the government and it was signed by his secretary with a noting “the Chairman DTC/Hon’ble Minister (Transport) has seen it”, sources said.
The deviations from the specifications of the RFP including bifurcation of buses into 400 BS IV and 600 BS VI and lay out of seats, recommended by a bus procurement committee were approved by the minister on November 6, 2019, a day before it was placed before DTC Board for its approval, sources said.
The DTC had floated the tender with RFP for procurement of 1000 buses and it was a single tender for supply of 1000 BS-IV or latest buses.
In the pre bid, the quantity of 1000 buses was bifurcated into 400 BS-IV buses and 600 BS-VI buses but the tender still remained one only, said the report.
The report stated that there were two bidders who did not meet the specifications of the RFP.
“The consultant (DIMTS) and the bus procurement committee of DTC did not correctly evaluate the financial bids,” said the report.
AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj had on Sunday rejected charges of corruption in the bus procurement process saying no contract was awarded as it was put on hold and no payment was made.
The BJP MLAs had raised the issue of “corruption” in annual maintenance contract (AMC) of 1000 DTC buses in Delhi Assembly in March 2021. A three-member committee formed by then Lt Governor Anil Baijal had found procedural “flaws” in the AMC and recommended scrapping it.
The LG had had referred the matter to the MHA in July 2021, that had recommended a preliminary enquiry by the CBI into the matter in August. PTI VIT RCJ
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