Jayalalithaa memorial tender process postponed to Feb. 21: TN to Madras HC
Chennai: The state government has informed the Madras high court that the tender process for construction of memorial for former Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa, has been postponed to February 21.
Advocate general Vijay Naryan made this submission when a petition from Natarajan, a civil work contractor, challenging the tender, came up for hearing before Justice K.Ravichandrabaabu.
The judge referred the matter to the First Bench, where connected cases are pending. According to the petitioner, as per tender notification, the approximate value of the work was Rs 43.63 crore. As per the notification, the tender schedule can be obtained from the authorities between January 18 and February 6. The last date for receiving the tender was February 7 and the tender will be opened on the same day. The tender was a two cover system. The first cover containing prequalification bid and the second cover consisting of price bid. The tender notification was issued hurriedly for political reasons and the same was liable to be quashed, he added.
He contended that the authorities has not followed the procedure laid down under the Tamil Nadu Transparency in Tender Rules, 2000. The 30 days minimum period for submission of the tender was not followed. He intended to participate in the tender.
It will take some time for him to mobilize funds and to obtain necessary certificates to quality in the prequalification bid. If clear 30 days time was given, he will obtain the necessary certificate and mobilize funds and participate in the tender.
Moreover, the authorities did not public the tender notification in the Indian Trade Journal and in all the news papers since the value of the work was '43.63 crore, he added.
