The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : `Open tender not followed for police tents purchase'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 03, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

`Open tender not followed for police tents purchase'

By K.T. Sangameswaran

CHENNAI, AUG. 2. The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) has criticised the Tamil Nadu Home department for not following open tender system in purchase of tents for the police.

Though the rates quoted by ordnance factories were higher than open market prices, orders were still placed with them resulting in an extra expenditure of Rs. 19.97 lakhs, the CAG said in his report for the year ended March 2003 placed in the Legislature.

In February 2002, the Government sanctioned Rs. 3.60 crores for purchasing tents. In January the next year, the Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP) placed direct purchase orders for 200 tents and 400 tents with the ordnance factories at Hazaratpur and Kanpur. He paid Rs. 1.81 crores to the two factories in March 2003.

As tents were available in the open market, they should not have been classified as security items, the report said. Also, as the purchase involved a huge cost, the open tender system should have been followed.

The Commandant, TSP VIII battalion, Tihar Jail, New Delhi, reported to the Deputy Inspector-General, that the quality of tents, pegs and ropes supplied by the ordnance factories was inferior and their rates higher than open market prices. In September 2002, the ADGP obtained open market quotations and a comparison revealed that the ordnance factory rates were higher. Still orders were placed with them in January last year.

In November 2003, the Government said the decision was taken after a detailed discussion on the working group committee consisting of officers, the report said.

Late disbursal

The CAG said a test-check of Police department stores revealed that Rs. 4.46 crores out of Rs. 5.24 crores sanctioned by the Government for purchasing arms and ammunition for 2002-2003, were drawn before March 31 last year and disbursed after a couple of months. As of June 2003, Rs. 77.84 lakhs remained undisbursed.

Thus, drawal of funds at the end of the year was to avoid the budget provision lapsing and the late disbursement indicated that the drawal was far in advance of requirement.

The Government conceded that the funds were drawn to avoid the budget provision lapsing.

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