Fraud alleged in Rs.229 Cr Jhelum dredging tender

At least three competitors have alleged that the Department of Irrigation and Flood Control has framed the e-tender document as per the suitability, conditions and specifications given clandestinely by a Kolkata-based dredging company.

A different Kolkata-based company has filed a complaint to Rajbagh Police Station while alleging that ‘imposters’ fraudulently representing the company were permitted to be present with Chief Engineer Irrigation and Flood Control Kashmir in the pre-bid meeting in Srinagar on 20 October.

The participants complained to The News Now that out of 10 representatives through physical and virtual mode in the pre-bid meeting at least 6 had been fraudulently sponsored by one Kolkata-based dredging company. The company, according to them, has in the past manipulated several dredging works in Kashmir.

Pre-bid meeting was held on 20 October for “Re-sectioning and Re-grading of Flood Spill Channel from RD 0 KM (Padshahi Bagh, district Srinagar) to RD 47.418 KM (upto Wular Lake, District Bandipora) of UT of Jammu and Kashmir” under Comprehensive Flood Management Programme of River Jhelum Phase-II (PART-A). The e-tender has been floated by Executive Engineer, Flood Spill Channel Division, Narbal for Rs.229 crore. CE Irrigation and Flood Control Department Kashmir has been appointed as the Bid Receiving Officer.

One of the participants representing a leading national level company said that as soon as he got suspicious about the bonafides of a couple of the men claiming to represent different companies, he raised the issue. “Even as I clicked a picture of one person, claiming to represent a Kolkata-based company, he was facilitated to disappear. I immediately checked with the said company. The CEO told me that the company had not authorized anybody to represent it in the meeting”, he said.

He claimed that the engineers of the Irrigation & Flood Control Department had full knowledge of the fact that some imposters and fake representatives of shadow companies were participating in the pre-bid meeting only to safeguard the interests of a Kolkata-based company which, according to him, does not enjoy a good reputation for its works in Kashmir in the past.

In a complaint to SHO Rajbagh Police Station, Director of Kolkata-based Dredging and Desiltation Company Pvt. Ltd wrote on 20 October evening that his company had already made it clear to CE Irrigation by email on 19 October that none of its representatives would be attending the pre-bid meeting.

“During progress of meeting, we came to understand from a reliable source that a person in disguise of our company representative was attending the said meeting carrying a letter prepared on letterhead of our company, Dredging and Desiltation Co. Pvt. Ltd. With some queries to be raised in the said meeting to be replied by the tendering authority”, reads the Director’s complaint addressed to SHO Rajbagh.

“Sir, by the said email, we had also put on record that our company neither deputed any person nor issued any letter said to be on our letter head in favour of the Chief Engineer as approached by the said person acting to be our representative. We had also informed you that the said person was attending the meeting with some ill motive, with false identity and false letter by copying our letter head he got from unidentified sources, with some mischievous reason and purpose to spoil the reputation of our company in the books of the tendering authority”, said the communication.

“On coming to know of such mis-representation, we immediately brought the fact to the notice of the Chief Engineer by email, a copy of which was enclosed therewith the email sent to you for your reference and necessary record. We had by said email requested you to take necessary action against the said culprit person attending the meeting with false and fictitious document prepared with ill motive by doctoring our letter head and putting an unreadable signature of a person totally unknown to us”, reads the letter addressed to the SHO.

The letter has also mentioned the alleged imposters’ telephone number and the name on which it was registered in Orissa.

Knowledgeable sources said that the Police were looking for the alleged imposter. However, an FIR had not been registered till late on Friday.

Attempts to reach Chief Engineer Irrigation & Flood Control Mr. Naresh and Financial Commissioner Jal Shakti Department, ShaleenKabra, did not succeed. Their version, as and when received will be carried, in the follow up story.