Vijay Wadettiwar alleges scam in procurement of furniture for government schools

Vijay Wadettiwar, leader of Opposition in the legislative Assembly, alleged the furniture obtained for schools in Thane and Nashik was at least one-and-a-half times costlier than that in Amravati and Nagpur schools. He said the difference in the rates pointed to a scam of ₹125 crore.

Vijay Wadettiwar, leader of Opposition in the legislative Assembly, has alleged a ₹125-crore scam in procurement of furniture and other material meant for residential schools for tribal students in four separate divisions, stating norms for allotment of tenders were violated. He has demanded a high-level inquiry into the alleged scam.

The tribal development department has rubbished the allegations and said the tender process was completed following every norm. (HT Photo)

Wadettiwar said office chair, tables, benches in classes, cupboard, steel beds for 463 residential tribal schools in Nagpur, Amravati, Nashik and Pune divisions were purchased from two companies at different and inflated rates. The total size of the procurement was ₹325 crore. He alleged the furniture obtained for schools in Thane and Nashik was at least one-and-a-half times costlier than that in Amravati and Nagpur schools. He said the difference in the rates pointed to a scam of ₹125 crore.

The tribal development department has rubbished the allegations. “The tendering process was transparent and according to the norms laid down by the state and Centre. Even the Bombay high court denied a stay on the procurement, when it was challenged in April this year, and directed us to go ahead with the procurement,” said Ashok Uike, minister of the department.

The department said the tender process was completed following every norm. “The tenders were called online on GeM (Government e Marketplace) system of the Central government. The first tender procedure was cancelled because for some items there was only one bidder or no bidder and the difference of the quoted rate was more than 20% of the estimates. The second tender was approved after a nod from the expert committee of the industries department and as per the GR issued in December 2016. The work orders were issued in February 2019 to ensure the students were provided necessary furniture before the monsoon sets in,” the clarification states.

The minister said the opposition was blowing the issue out of proportion. “It is not true that my predecessor had stayed the tender process. The work order was issued much before I took charge. The rates are different in two divisions, as tenders were floated separately through two companies. Had the HC found any substance in the process, it would have stayed it,” he said.