HYDRAA Refutes Allegations of Irregularities in MET Tenders
HYDRAA said the contractor's disqualification had led to a campaign of false allegations against the tender process
HYDERABAD: HYDRAA strongly denied allegations of irregularities in the selection of monsoon emergency teams (METs), stating that the tender process was carried out in a transparent and fair manner.
In a statement issued on Thursday, HYDRAA said that a nine-member selection committee, comprising its own engineers as well as those from the Greater Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri municipal corporations had examined all applications before finalising the tenders.
The agency claimed that the allegations of corruption and malpractice, leveled by several people, including social media handles, were false. According to HYDRAA, the allegations are being spread by unsuccessful bidders.
HYDRAA noted that it has been managing the selection and deployment of METs since last year, and said that similar allegations had been leveled in the past by contractors who failed to secure tenders. Contracts were awarded only to capable agencies and the effectiveness of the METs during last year’s monsoon season was widely recognised by the public, HYDRAA claimed.
The statement specifically referred to Patnam Srisailam, who allegedly submitted applications for 30 tenders this year. HYDRAA claimed that, as in the previous year, he failed to provide proof of ownership or lease agreements for the required vehicles. As a result, the selection committee declared him ineligible.
HYDRAA said the contractor's disqualification had led to a campaign of false allegations against the tender process. The organisation also pointed out that, following the heavy rain on June 9 and 12, officials worked round the clock to speed up the tender process and ensure emergency teams could be deployed quickly.
To encourage wider participation, HYDRAA had issued a corrigendum on June 10 allowing contractors involved in desilting and instant repair team works to take part in the MET tenders. The agency warned that legal action would be taken against individuals spreading false information and baseless allegations regarding the tender process.