CG-CAG-COLLUSION

C'garh: officials, e-tender bidders used same computers, CAG

finds

Raipur, Jan 10 (PTI)The computers used by government

officials in Chhattisgarh to upload details of e-tenders were

also found to be used by bidders to submit their bids in many

cases, suggesting collusion, a CAG report has said.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled a

reporton `general, social and economic sectors' for the year

ended March 31, 2017 in the state Assembly Thursday.

"Seventeen departments invited 1,921 tenders valued at

Rs 4,601 crore during April 2016 to March 2017. As many as 74

computers were used to upload tender details (on government

sites)," the CAG said.

The BJP was in power in the state during this period.

"The same computers were also used by one or more

bidders to upload their quotes for these 1,921 tenders,"

Principal Accountant General (Audit) Bijay Kumar Mohanty said

citing the report at a press conference here.

As many as 477 bidders, who had used the same

computers as used by concerned government officials, were

awarded contracts worth Rs 961.26 crore, he said.

"Surprisingly, the system which had inbuilt business

intelligence module to block such violations, failed to detect

such lapses until these were pointed out by the audit,"

Mohanty added.

This indicated that bidders and the officials

processing the bids were in close touch even before the

bidding process started, he said.

Further, several bidders used same email-ids, he

pointed out, suggesting there were cartels of bidders.

The Water Resources Department cancelled 10 tenders in

2016 on the ground of collusion between department officials

and bidders after it was found that they had used the same

computers, he said.

The department had requested, in April 2017, to the

Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society (CHiPS) to take

preventive measures, however, no action was taken, Mohanty

said.

The CAG has recommended a time-bound investigation

by an independent agency in this matter, he said.