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LDA contractors brawl over bids
Despite all their hi-tech security cameras, LDA officials could not prevent two rival groups, vying for a lucrative department tender, from coming to blows on its office premises on Tuesday.
Despite all their hi-tech security cameras, LDA officials could not prevent two rival groups, vying for a lucrative department tender, from coming to blows on its office premises on Tuesday.
Even as fisticuffs were exchanged between the two warring sides, one of the contractors whipped out a revolver. The brawl over bidding could have turned bloody but for the timely intervention of some participants, who managed to diffuse the situation. The incident, which occurred at around 12 noon was enough to send other bidders scurrying for cover even as LDA authorities sent out an SOS to the Gomti Nagar police.
By the time the police reached the conference hall in which tenders were being opened, the rabble-rousers had disappeared from the scene. The development authority, which has been a hot-favourite hunting ground for the tender-hungry mafia, had witnessed a couple such violent incidents in January also. On offer on Tuesday were the tehbazari and parking contracts of 13 places the most lucrative among them were the parking contracts of Vikasdeep in Chitwapur, Shaheed Smarak, Buddha and Haathi Parks, Fatima Hospital. Besides the parking contracts the tehbazari tenders for Sector D and H on Kanpur Road housing scheme of the LDA were also to be awarded.
Eyewitnesses said trouble erupted when one of the bidders took affront to the tender price for the parking lot at Fatima Hospital quoted by a fellow contractor.
He reportedly objected over this following which a heated exchange between the two on the issue. Later, confusion prevailed among the bidders over whether the entire proceedings would be held afresh or not. The LDA secretary when contacted expressed his inability to comment on the matter saying that since he had just joined the department he was neither aware about the incident nor of the final outcome.
