Ahmedabad: Tenders worth Rs 140.2 crore floated by the civic body’s parks and gardens department have come under scrutiny over allegations of corruption in qualifying agencies and the absence of several aspects in the tender documents. Municipal commissioner Banchha Nidhi Pani has sent the files of these tenders, floated in Dec, to Vijay Mistry, the joint director (mechanical) of AMC’s central office. The scrutiny could not be completed because the files lacked sufficient documentation. Mistry has requested the department to provide the missing documents, stating that the formal examination will proceed only once all requirements are fulfilled.Giving details of the tenders, sources said that the department had floated two separate tenders in Dec to empanel agencies for supply of tractor trolleys and seeking manpower for gardens. The tenders were set for a three-year term, with a provision for a two-year extension. The tender for tractor trolleys was worth Rs 16.17 crore a year, totalling Rs 48.51 crore for three years, while the tender for manpower supply was worth Rs 30.97 crore a year, totalling Rs 91.71 crore over the three-year term.Allegations surfaced that certain agencies were wrongly qualified, with claims of significant corruption involving a specific official. This led to various contractors submitting formal objections to the principal director of the parks and gardens department and the municipal commissioner demanding a vigilance probe into the tendering process, although no such investigation has been initiated yet.Specifically, on Dec 30, one contractor agency submitted a letter challenging the tender provisions and the qualification criteria.Eyebrows were raised over the parks and gardens department’s empanelment process. Several aspects of the tenders remain suspicious, including the actual number of tractors required, the designated shift hours, data on the volume of waste generated in the city, a comparison with how work was handled previously, and the logic behind the experience and financial criteria set for participating companies, a source in the AMC said. While it has been decided to scrutinize all files, it remains to be seen whether these proposals will be approved and forwarded to the standing committee after the investigation.
