R&B officials in Anantnag allegedly boost ‘Baradari’ tendering, support blue eyed firms

Sameer Ahmad

Anantnag: The PWD (R&B) department officials here in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district have been allegedly supporting blue-eyed firms in blatant violation of norms and boosting ‘Baradari tendering’.

Sources told to Arising State that the officials, instead of ensuring healthy competitions in the tendering process, were preferring and giving enough space to ‘Baradari tendering’.

In a recently bid tendering an upgradation strengthening of road connecting to BL Road (km 2nd) to Zirpora Waghama road in which seven contractors had applied for the tendering process among the seven, two contractors are selected, sources said.

However, among them one such firm applied for the tendering was declared non-responsive on the pretext that the e-stamp submitted by him was pre-dated and the department had apprehensions that the same legal document was used before anywhere but interestingly the department entertained pre-dated e-stamp of another firm without any check.

Sources said that most of the contracts attract 3 to 4 bidders only, which negates the aim of the e-tendering process.

Meanwhile, talking to Arising State, SE supritendent Engineer PWD (R&B) Fayaz Ahmad refuted all the allegations and said that nowadays such tendering is done through online mode. “It can’t happen that something goes wrong even in online mode,” he said.