No police complaint filed to hush up tender-fixing practice
Nagpur: The tender-fixing practice in Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has again been started. The vicious impact of such practice could be witnessed in the NMC here on Monday evening when two of contractors quarreled over a dispute, and knife was used to cause grievous injury to a contractor. However, no police complaint was made, just to hush up the illegal practice among contractors. There is some one who is the ring leader of tender-fixing in NMC.
It may be mentioned that there are two rival groups of contractors in NMC, Ramzan Group and Gousuddin Group, both of whom are in perennial tussle with each other. Each group wants to have control over contractors association, obviously for selfish reason. Taking advantage of both the rivals, certain outsider-brokers, white collared and contractors got the control of contractors association shifted to their ring-leader. Exploiting the opportunity, the ring-leader has restarted tender-fixing practice. He received the ‘naal’ of Rs 20 lakh, but not shared with his associate contractors. When asked about accountability, his reply was that he had to share it with certain political leaders, office bearers, NMC officials and with certain close ones, all in the welfare of contractors only.
According to sources about six months ago, when this practice was banned, the ring-leader would use a contractor, named Sunil Kamble in tender-fixing affairs. The ring-leader used to regularly receive the percentage of each tender-fixing from Kamble. In the case of delay in receiving payment (brokerage) from any contractor, Sunil Kamble would distribute money from his own pocket to the beneficiaries (contractors), just to maintain relations, and later recover from them. He is still expecting a payment of 2 to 3 lakh rupees from certain contractors.
On the other hand, during recently held elections of contractors association Sunil Kamble suffered defeat, as he had contested from Naidu-opponent group. In the election, Naidu group made victory and maintained its dominance over contractors association, which was supported by Ruling Party in the NMC, which is still there.
As a result, the tender-fixing practice got a re-start, and this time this illegal practice is handled by association’s vice president Prakash Potpuse, who in turn regularly provides fixed percentage of profit to the ring-leader.
Meanwhile, Sunil Kamble’s alleged old practice of recovery of money (extortion bid) is still continuing. It was under the same bid on Monday evening, Sunil Kamble, picking up a dispute, attacked with knife a contractor, Atkar and grievously injured him. Injured Atkar threatened Sunil of filing a police complaint, but could not file complaint for the reasons best known to him. He thought that if he filed police complaint he would land in more trouble as the tender-fixing is an illegal affair. It is thus clear that tender-fixing practice is continuing in NMC.
Ruling Party’s members are allegedly doing contractorship in NMC. In the case of any problems to contractors, the contractors association president is said to be playing his role in pulling up NMC officials and employees (sending them on deputation), and the NMC administration acts at the behest of Ruling Party.
– RAJEEV RANJAN KUSHWAHA (rajeev.nagpurtoday@gmail.com )
