E-Paper
Norms shot at in Forest gun deal
IRREGULARITIES HAVE been alleged in the State Forest Department?s move to purchase 500 Turkish guns worth Rs 1.15 crore even as the department had, some days ago, placed the final order for import of the 12-bore guns.
IRREGULARITIES HAVE been alleged in the State Forest Department’s move to purchase 500 Turkish guns worth Rs 1.15 crore even as the department had, some days ago, placed the final order for import of the 12-bore guns.
The State Trading Corporation of India Ltd (STC), New Delhi – on behalf of the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department – had floated tenders on January 18 for enlisting suitable parties to supply 500 pump action single barrel 12-bore guns. The proposal had been cleared in October 2005 at a meeting chaired by former Chief Secretary Vijay Singh.
However, only one company – Stoeger Silah Sanayi A S of Turkey – participated in the tender and submitted its offer to supply the guns. The STC informed the Forest Department about the same.
Yet, the company’s offer was approved and Stoeger was ordered to supply guns worth Rs 1.15 crore. It has been alleged that store purchase rules were flouted in doing so.
According to sources, in case only one offer is received in a tender then it needs to be re-floated in order to enlist more competitive offers. That rule was not followed in this case and guns were ordered from Stoeger Company only.
In June 2006, the State Government granted Rs 1.15 crore to the Forest Department for purchase of these guns on the condition that store purchase rules should be adhered to in the purchase.
Sources claimed that as per the store purchase rules, a duly constituted purchase committee should approve any purchase above Rs 5,000. In this case, however, no purchase committee was formed, sources alleged.
As per conditions of tender notice, it was mandatory for a foreign-based participating company to give details of its representatives in India and the place where guns could be sent for necessary repairs and regular maintenance.
Stoeger did not provide any such information, automatically rendering the company ineligible to participate in the tender process, sources asserted.
Moreover, the tender notice does not mention anything about the imperative guarantee/warranty clause on material purchased. Nevertheless, the process was approved and guns ordered.
Besides, sources stated that the Forest Department, without consulting any technical committee, ordered a particular model of guns – SP 312 – for purchase despite the Stoeger Company enlisting six other models in its catalogue.
Sources claimed that Stoeger Company was currently not supplying weaponry to any defence/police forces in India, raising question marks on its credibility. A written complaint about the alleged irregularities has been addressed to the Chief Minister too.
State Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Protection) Anil Oberoi, however, asserted that all rules and regulations were duly followed in the purchase process.
Before approval, it was scrutinised whether the company had international standing and was reputed, he said adding Stoeger was presently supplying weapons to the elite National Security Guards (NSG) in India.
He said the final order for purchase had been placed some days back after clearance from the Finance Department but the delivery of guns would take some time.
