Cidco tweaked rules to favour firms in PM Awas scheme: Maharashtra Congress

The state Congress on Tuesday accused the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) of favouritism and cartelisation in the tender process for the Prime

The state Congress on Tuesday accused the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) of favouritism and cartelisation in the tender process for the Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Navi Mumbai. The party alleged that the bidding norms were tweaked to facilitate the companies which the developing body wanted to appoint.

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Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant said that the contract to construct 89,771 tenements worth ₹14,000 crore under PMAY were given to four companies, overruling the recommendation of the officials of the Cidco.

“The specifications of the tenders were changed to restrict more companies to participate. After dividing the contract in four packages instead of eight as suggested by the officials, Cidco invited bids from the companies dealing in cast-in-situ and precast constructions. The eligibility criteria for both the types of companies was different. The condition of experience in construction in height of the buildings too was different. This all was done to facilitate four companies that have been shortlisted,” Sawant said. He added that one company had demanded more flexibility in the bid document and the division of the contract in more packages, but they were not conceded. Sawant said that one of the disqualified companies was also accommodated in the bidding process of Metro Bhavan being built by MMRDA.

Refuting the allegations, Cidco said the process was conducted as per the Central Vigilance Committee norms. A Cidco spokesperson said, “We floated e-tenders to follow a transparent and timely bidding process. The tendering took place under the supervision of a technical committee, which included independent members from IIT-Bombay and private sector consultancy firms. All the allegations are baseless.