Nagpur: The ‘Rs 50 Crore Amrut Water Supply Scheme Tender’ in the Kalmeshwar-Bramhani Municipal Council has become synonymous with controversy, thanks to alleged involvement from officials of both the Kalmeshwar-Bramhani Municipal Council and Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran.
Nagpur Today previously exposed what appeared to be favoritism and irregularities in the tender process for the ‘Rs 50 Crore Amrut Water Supply Scheme.’ These irregularities ranged from accommodating disqualified firms from Kolhapur, sharing the same owner, to sidelining Nagpur-based Samrudhi Infra Projects.
In the latest update, Samrudhi Infra Projects has alleged that their collaborators are facing pressure to withdraw support, allegedly under political influence. They have also hinted at a conspiracy involving officials from the Kalmeshwar-Bramhani Municipal Council and Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran, working towards awarding the tender to Laxmi Engineering, a firm previously disqualified due to a conflict of interest.
Samrudhi Infra Projects raised concerns about their disqualification on the grounds of ‘Bid Capacity,’ receiving notification from Kalmeshwar-Bramhani Municipal Council and Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran only on August 23, despite the disqualification occurring on August 10.
Moreover, despite the deadline for the third tender call being August 24, Samrudhi Infra Projects’ Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) of approximately Rs 25 lakh was not released by the municipal council until August 25.
These alleged irregularities are not isolated incidents in the ‘Rs 50 Crore Amrut Water Supply Scheme Tender.’
During the second tender’s ongoing process, the Kalmeshwar-Bramhani Municipal Council surprisingly initiated a third tender call for the same project, raising questions about the selection process.
Initially, six firms submitted bids for the approximately Rs 50 crore water supply scheme in early May 2023. After a technical evaluation, three firms were disqualified, leaving only Laxmi Engineering, Swastik Construction (both from Kolhapur), and Central India in contention. Samrudhi Infra Projects challenged their disqualification in the High Court and was reinstated in the tender race.
However, a cancellation order was issued for the tender call on June 17, citing the disqualification due to common ownership in two bidding companies. Subsequently, a second round of tender calls took place, where disqualified Kolhapur-based firms with the same owner attempted to re-enter but were unsuccessful, leaving only two firms in the race.
As the tender process was nearing its conclusion, the Kalmeshwar-Bramhani Municipal Council unexpectedly issued a third tender call for the ‘Rs 50 Crore Amrut Water Supply Scheme.’
When questioned about this decision, Rameshwar Pandagale, Chief Officer (CO) of Kalmeshwar-Bramhani Municipal Council, explained to *Nagpur Today* that since only one applicant remained in the tender process, they were compelled to float a third tender call.
However, what raises eyebrows is the apparent oversight of M/s Samrudhi Infra Projects, another prime candidate in the tender race, by the CO of Kalmeshwar-Bramhani Municipal Council.
When pressed for an explanation, the CO of Kalmeshwar-Bramhani Municipal Council referred inquiries to Rajendra Katpalliwar, Chief Engineer, Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran.
Speaking to Nagpur Today, Samrudhi Infra Projects said, “Our collaborators are facing constant pressure to withdraw their support. It is a clear motive to disqualify Samrudhi Infra Projects from the bidding process and open a tender call with a single candidate to favor Laxmi Construction. If our worst fear comes true, it will be a highly motivated bid to favor Laxmi Construction and a corruption of high standards,” they said.
– Shubham Nagdeve
