Shillong, May 20: Public Health Engineering (PHE) Minister Marcuise N Marak today dismissed allegations that the department had favoured a Hyderabad-based company in awarding major infrastructure contracts, asserting that all projects were allotted through a transparent tendering process in accordance with government norms.
This follows on from a similar denial yesterday by government spokesperson Wailadmiki Shylla.
Responding to media queries on RTI findings that reportedly revealed a large share of PHE infrastructure projects being awarded to BAC Infratech Pvt Ltd, Marak said the allegations of favouritism were “totally incorrect”.
“I have seen the news report. I would say this is totally incorrect. The PHE Department follows all the norms which have to be adhered to, especially in considering contract works,” he said.
The minister said the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) alone involves projects worth Rs 6,737.14 crore, covering 3,762 standalone schemes along with pipe water supply provisions for schools, Anganwadi centres and other public institutions.
According to Marak, these projects have been distributed among various contractors and firms through a strict tendering mechanism overseen by a committee headed by the Commissioner and Secretary of the PHE Department, with officials from the finance and law departments also involved.
“We don’t simply favour anybody the way the paper has alleged. All norms are adhered to,” he said.
While acknowledging that the RTI documents may correctly show that the company had secured multiple projects, Marak maintained that the contracts were awarded strictly through the tendering process based on technical eligibility, expertise and experience.
“They got the tender because the technical requirement, expertise requirement and experience requirement were there. So, there is no question of favouring anybody,” he said.
Marak further explained that several large-scale schemes, including JJM, JICA-assisted projects, AMRUT 2.0 and NESID initiatives, are required by the central government to be implemented either on an EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) or turnkey basis.
Under such arrangements, the executing agency is responsible for designing, constructing and completing the project before handing it over to the department.
“Local contractors who are capable of handling EPC and turnkey projects are very few. It requires technical expertise and experience, and practically I don’t find many local contractors there,” he said.
The minister stressed that if local firms had met the eligibility criteria and technical qualifications, they too would have been awarded the projects.
“Had there been locals and they qualified, they would have been given the work. These firms got the projects based on their competency and experience,” he added.
Marak also urged RTI applicants and pressure groups to verify facts on the ground before drawing conclusions.
“Filing RTIs is good. People should know how many projects have been sanctioned, the amount involved and to whom they were given. But after getting the report, if you simply start blaming, that is incorrect. One should verify first and then come to a conclusion,” he said.
Courts grant bail, not CM
Cabinet minister and NPP state working president Marcuise N Marak today hit back at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) figure and Tura MDC Bernard N Marak over his claim that Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has links with former Phulbari MLA Esmatur Mominin following the latter’s recent released on bail.
Terming the allegation “totally unacceptable,” Marcuise said the executive has no role in judicial decisions.
“Bail was given by whom? Is it the Chief Minister who has given the bail? No, it is not the Chief Minister, the bail was given by the court,” Marcuise told reporters. “It is totally baseless. It is a totally unacceptable statement. This statement was given just to mislead the people.”
Mominin had been arrested over his alleged role in stirring up communal feeling over the non-tribal voting rights issue in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) in March.
Bernard claimed that the CM must have some links to Mominin for the latter to have secured bail when many Garo citizens wanted for their own supposed role in the violence are still languishing in jail.
