The Sukhu Congress Government Setting New Records in Scandals, alleges Sudhir Sharma.
We Have Documents of Corruption Among Senior Officials, Will Reveal Soon, Sharma claims.
Dharamshala, July 3, 2024:BJP leader and MLA Sudhir Sharma has accused the Sukhu government of setting new records in corruption, pointing specifically to a questionable digitization tender worth over ₹7 crores in the Himachal Pradesh Marketing Board.
He claims this is clear evidence of government mismanagement and corruption.
According to Sharma, the Marketing Board's MD repeatedly noted on the file that the tender should be reissued.
However, despite this, the Agriculture Secretary and Chairman of the Marketing Board awarded the tender without a full committee's presence, marking a significant scandal.
Sharma highlighted the blatant disregard for established financial rules by the state government in awarding the tender. The MD called for a tender, but the Chairman issued the award letter, leaving confusion about who will finalize the agreement with the company.
An even more serious issue was that in a committee meeting on May 14, 2024, three out of four applicants were disqualified. Yet, one of the firms still ended up winning the tender.
The committee had initially recommended re-tendering, but in the MD's absence, the Chairman went ahead, taking presentations and assigning scores with an incomplete committee.
This resulted in two firms being qualified out of four, and the MD once again recommended re-tendering, citing rate variations. The winning company quoted ₹6.72 crores, while another firm had quoted ₹14.4 crores.
The tender was awarded on June 29, 2024, and on July 1, the company requested a separate GST payment, which was promptly approved within a day, he claimed.
Sharma also pointed out similar issues in the HP Tourism Development Corporation, where tenders for various ADB-funded projects are allegedly being manipulated.
For instance, a hotel being built on sericulture land in Nadaun, the Chief Minister's constituency, is embroiled in controversy and green tribunal hearings due to irregularities in the tender process.
Sharma concluded by stating that the government has given free rein to plunder the state, with evidence of corruption among high-ranking officials ready to be exposed.
