Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 4: When it comes to comforts of the Very Important Persons (VIPs), the official machinery in Jammu and Kashmir does not mind to ignore the laid down procedure, which otherwise remains a tool at the hands of bureaucrats for delaying routine works.
This can be gauged from the findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, which has brought to the fore procurement of Agusta A-109E Power Helicopter in the non-transparent manner by the Civil Aviation Department of Jammu and Kashmir.
For the movement of Very Important Persons (VIPs) in the State, the Civil Aviation Department of State Government floated a proposal to acquire a twin-engine helicopter. For this, the Government constituted a high-level committee, which decided that the Director Civil Aviation would evaluate all the available makes in the desired category and thereafter invite specific offers from such of the companies as would be shortlisted.
According to the CAG, Director Civil Aviation Department got an in-house study conducted by a team of Pilots and Engineers, which shortlisted three helicopters—Eurocopter EC-135, Agusta 109 Power (AP) and MD 900 Explorer.
The Committee after evaluation of the offers received from two firms-EC and AP, recommended purchase of AP stating that it was technically best suited for local conditions, cheaper than EC, offered spares worth Rs one crore and a warranty of three years against warranty of two years offered by EC.
The Government accepted the proposal and accorded sanction for the purchase of AP helicopter at a cost of Rs 20 crore and accordingly Civil Aviation Department carried out the purchase of helicopter.
However, the CAG has pointed out that no formal Notice Inviting Tenders or Request for Proposals was issued either on open/global tender basis or even to three shortlisted venders on limited tendering basis. “In the absence of such a process, firm quotes (preferably in two parts-technical bids and financial bids) based on pre-designed buyer requirements and specifications were not obtained”, the report said, adding “the comparative evaluation was done in the absence of firm and formal technical/price bids with reference to informal offers obtained at different points of time and not brought to common basis of evaluation through pre-defined parameters like post sale support, cost of maintenance for a pre-defined period and essential and desirable attributes.
“In the absence of competitive tendering (global or limited), the reasonableness of negotiated price could not be vouched”, the CAG said, adding “although it was known that Rajasthan Government had procured the same helicopter and Government was indeed approached for details but their response was not kept in the record of the deal”.
In March 2014, the CAG referred the matter to the Government and Commissioner Civil Aviation Department stated that the committee headed by Chief Secretary accepted the recommendations of the department that had carried out technical comparison. “This reply should be viewed in the light of the fact that proper tendering process was required to be followed before allotment of contract for the purchase of twin engine helicopter”, the CAG said.
Meanwhile, the CAG has brought to the fore that Estates Department has created liability of Rs 12.97 crore by not devising any mechanism to ensure recovery of water usage charges from the licensees (occupants of its accommodation).
The Estates Department is the custodian of buildings meant for providing residential accommodation to Government officers and other functionaries. At the time of allotment, a license deed is drawn between the department and the occupant Government employee mentioning that licensee will make payment of electricity and water usage charges.
However, during the audit scrutiny it came to the fore that instead of raising bills on account of water usage charges against the licensees the bills had been raised by the PHE Department against the Estates Department for bulk water supplied to buildings and premises under the control of Estates Department.
“The Estates Department had not put in place any mechanism to ensure that the water usage charges for the bulk water supplied by the PHE were actually recovered from the licensees”, the CAG said, adding “the cumulative outstanding bills raised by the PHE Department against Estates Department stood at Rs 12.97 crore”. Not only this, no demand certificates were issued by the Estates Department in favour of licensees, who had retired from services without paying the water usage charges.
In this way, the absence of any mechanism to ensure recovery of water usage charges from the licensees resulted in extending undue benefit to them and creation of liability of Rs 12.97 crore for the Estates Department. “There are bleak prospect of recovery of dues in future”, the CAG has remarked while regretting that no tenable reply was given by the concerned officers when the issue was brought to their notice.
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