look news india
These days, there is a huge commotion in the administrative corridors of Bihar when the state government and investigating agencies have launched a huge and decisive campaign against tender tampering i.e. large-scale manipulation and rigging in contracts. Attacking these deep roots of corruption, the state government has ordered a transparent and in-depth investigation of all government contracts and advertised tenders worth more than Rs 5 crore. Currently, 9 most important and lucrative departments of the state have directly come under the ambit of this sudden strict action, where the files of tenders issued in the last few years are being scrutinized. After this sensational revelation, not only the contractors and middlemen are in panic, but the administrative officials are also losing sleep, because it is believed that in the coming days, many big faces may be exposed in the storm of this investigation.
The government has taken the toughest administrative step so far to curb the loot and nepotism in the name of government schemes in Bihar. In the contracts whose cost is Rs 5 crore or more, each and every layer of how the favorite companies were obliged by keeping the rules aside, is now being revealed by the Anti Corruption Bureau and other high level investigating agencies. According to initial reports, there have been several cases where tender conditions were deliberately changed in such a way that no other company other than the selected syndicate could participate in the competition. This type of tender tampering has not only caused huge financial loss to the government exchequer, but has also seriously affected the quality of development works, which the government seems to be in no mood to tolerate any longer.
The nine major departments that have been targeted first under this comprehensive investigation campaign are considered to be ultra-sensitive and huge budget departments of the state like infrastructure, road construction, building construction, water resources and rural development. The entire draft of the big tenders issued by these departments during the last few financial years has now reached the table of the investigating officers, where forensic investigation is being done right from digital tender uploading to the processes of opening financial bids. Experts say that some special contractors and syndicates were established in these departments for years and used to divide every big project among themselves. Now that the scrutiny of all these files has started, it has become clearly visible how well-planned the rules were being flouted internally.
It has been a matter of open discussion for a long time in the contracting market of Bihar that it is impossible for tender tampering to happen on such a large scale without any political protection and administrative connivance. Now the biggest and most important task before the investigating agencies is to expose this deep nexus, which used to maintain its influence from file movement to tender allotment. It has also been seen in many cases that the eligible companies that made the lowest bid on paper were thrown out citing technical deficiencies and the contract was given to the desired firm. Such actions had left a big stain on the transparent functioning of the state, to clean which a collective and impartial investigation was desperately needed.
After the launch of this big anti-corruption campaign, a new buzz has started in the administrative system of Bihar and it is being appreciated among the honest officials and the public. People are hopeful that this time the investigation will not be limited to mere paperwork, but strict legal action will also be ensured against the culprits to set an example. As the investigation into the files of these nine departments progresses, there is every possibility of legal action being taken against many junior and senior engineers, tender managers and big contractors. This entire episode can not only bring a new upheaval in the politics of Bihar, but can also prove to be a milestone in the future in making the process of government contracts completely transparent and digital.