BMC issues notice to erring contractor

Following the Hindustan Times report on Friday about the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) having awarded a contract to RP Shah Infra projects Ltd, which was disqualified from a bidding process for hiding information, the civic body has now issued a show-cause notice to the contractor.

Following the Hindustan Times report on Friday about the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) having awarded a contract to RP Shah Infra projects Ltd, which was disqualified from a bidding process for hiding information, the civic body has now issued a show-cause notice to the contractor.

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Additional municipal commissioner Rajiv Jalota said the legal opinion sought on the matter had recommended the same.

“The contractor said he could not produce the latest documents at the time of bidding and hence, could not reveal the information. In any case, we will now be issuing a show cause notice to the firm,” said Jalota.

Asking the contractor to explain why he should not be disqualified yet again, officials said that this notice could possibly be the first step toward the contractor being disqualified.

They said if the reasons aren’t found valid enough, the contractor will be disqualified and the work order cancelled.

RPS Infra had hid crucial information about its pending projects during the bidding process of a roadwork tender around a week back.

The firm had not disclosed it was yet to finish work on a project worth Rs143 crores to build retaining walls along the Mithi. If the information had been known, the contractor wouldn’t have been eligible to bid.

The BMC then disqualified RPS Infra from the process and is now in the process of imposing a penalty on them. The disqualification occurred on September 6, days before the BMC awarded a contract worth Rs70 crores for water supply works to the same firm.