CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu home secretary Niranjan Mardi has written to the Director General of Police (DGP) T.K. Rajendran seeking explanation on an array of questions relating to the purchase of communication equipment for the police force at a cost of Rs 83.45 crore. Among the 11-point charter of questions sent by the home secretary are doubts over the firm awarded the tender by the police department at double the amount of allotted price. Motorola Solutions India was awarded the project on July 18.
In the letter dated September 23, the home secretary had said that only a sum of Rs 47.56 crore is likely to be allotted under modernisation of the police force scheme for 2017-18. "While so, how the tender was floated and awarded for a sum of Rs 83.45 crore, which exceeds far more than the amount likely to be allotted," the letter questioned.
Citing a letter from the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), technical services, which mentioned that only one firm participated in the tender and was eventually awarded for a cost of Rs.83.45 crore, the home secretary expressed doubts over the veracity of the firm awarded the tender.
According to the home secretary’s letter, the firms that apply for tender have to submit a Dealer Possession Licence for import of equipm-ent before signing of contract agreement and purchase order, but the firm, which was eventually awarded the contract, has given only an undertaking that it will do so by the end of July 2017. “How the purchase order was given to the firm without mandatory documents, it may be explained,” the letter said and further questioned the necessity to float a tender involving a huge amount and awarding it to a firm that hasn’t obtained mandatory documents. The home secretary questioned whether the single firm has fulfilled all pre-qualified conditions and whether the finalisation of the single tender was informed to the government. He also sought a clarification from the police chief to specify the rule provision under which the single bidder was accepted along with the details of the competent authority who approved the tender. The home department has also sought the details of the impact of GST on the project.
