Nagpur: In a shocking turn of events, the controversy surrounding the ‘Rs 50 Crore Nagarothhan Scheme Tender’ in the Kalmeshwar-Bramhani Municipal Council has escalated. Atul Engineering, a collaborator of Samruddhi Infra Projects, one of the key contenders, succumbed to political pressure from the local MP and withdrew their support.
Nagpur Today reported on Sunday that Samruddhi Infra Projects had raised an alarm, alleging that their collaborators were under constant pressure to withdraw their support. They feared a motivated bid to favor Laxmi Construction and a corruption scandal of significant magnitude. Unfortunately, their worst fear has now come true.
Speaking to Nagpur Today, Samruddhi Infra Projects officials also mentioned that Atul Engineering has started to ghost them and is not responding to calls or messages from Samruddhi Infra Projects.
It is essential to mention that the controversy began with allegations of favoritism and irregularities in the tender process, including the inclusion of disqualified firms from Kolhapur and sidelining Samruddhi Infra Projects, following the pressure from the local MP. However, the situation took a more sinister turn as Samruddhi Infra Projects accused officials from the Kalmeshwar-Bramhani Municipal Council and Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran of conspiring to award the tender to Laxmi Engineering, a firm previously disqualified due to a conflict of interest.
Samruddhi Infra Projects expressed concerns about their disqualification, highlighting that they were only notified about it on August 23, despite the disqualification occurring on August 10. Furthermore, their Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) of approximately Rs 25 lakh was reportedly not released by the municipal council until August 25.
These allegations of irregularities are not isolated incidents in the ‘Rs 50 Crore Nagarothhan Scheme Tender.’ The process has been marred by multiple twists and turns. Initially, six firms submitted bids for the project in May 2023, but after a technical evaluation, three firms were disqualified, leaving only Laxmi Engineering, Swastik Construction (both from Kolhapur), and Central India in contention.
Samruddhi Infra Projects had previously challenged their disqualification in the High Court and was reinstated in the tender race. However, a cancellation order was issued for the tender call on June 17, citing the disqualification due to common ownership in two bidding companies. This led to a second round of tender calls, with disqualified Kolhapur-based firms attempting to re-enter but ultimately failing, leaving only two firms in the running.
The situation took an unexpected turn when the Kalmeshwar-Bramhani Municipal Council issued a third tender call for the project. Rameshwar Pandagale, Chief Officer (CO) of the Municipal Council, defended this decision, claiming it was necessary due to having only one remaining applicant in the process.
However, questions have been raised regarding the apparent oversight of Samruddhi Infra Projects by the CO of the Municipal Council. When pressed for an explanation, inquiries were redirected to Rajendra Katpalliwar, Chief Engineer, Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran.
.. Shubham Nagdeve
