Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Nov 24: Enchasing the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura has shockingly cleared a consignment of furniture which was received even before the order was placed and was even termed as not up to the specifications by the hospital’s Inspection Committee.
The furniture consisting of hospital beds, lockers and other accessories, worth more than Rs 9 lakh was received by the hospital on April 15 this year, while as the actual order for it was placed on April 29, 2020, with grave quality issues-pointing to the mass irregularities by the hospital administration regarding the purchase.
Worth to note here, the order on which the consignment was received was placed without following set tendering norms and was purchased from Al-Haram Engineering-which has been getting the majority of orders of the SKIMS, Soura.
As per the documents accessed by Excelsior, the inspection of the received furniture was carried out, which then noted the shortcomings in the received furniture as per the order that was placed later on (April 29) and passed on the recommendations and the observations in its report.
“…on the measurements it was found some deviation in the dimension length, breadth and height viz-a-viz weight as per the measurement statement…,” the Inspection Committee stated in its report.
Notably, as per the original order, the furniture (semi fowler beds) asked for was in 18 Gauge with a weight of 58 kgs, while as the modification was done only in the size and weight, not in the Gauge.
As per the modifications, the weight was reduced to 45kgs from 58 kgs, which is possible when the material of 22 Gauge is supplied and also indicative of the fact that the material is not up to the standard, and is cost-wise almost 30-35% cheaper as well.
The report of the Committee, on May 11 this year, when the COVID-19 pandemic was gaining the pace across Kashmir, recommended that the furniture received to be accepted given the COVID-19 pandemic with the imposition of 4 per cent of penalty on the ordered value.
The inspection committee recommended: “Keeping in view the pandemic COVID-19 and in order to cater the influx of patients in the hospital, the committee accepts the items and recommended to impose 4% penalty on overall ordered value,” and referred the matter to the Purchase Sub-Committee which then accepted the recommendations of the inspection committee and marched ahead.
Pertinent to mention here, that the Excelsior has learned that the Inspection Committee had earlier rejected the received supply, but had to succumb to the pressure. The committee had also questioned the Brand and Make of the furniture but to no avail.
Then, after the recommendations and the observations (shortcomings in the received furniture) of Inspection Committee, the order was modified and approved by the Purchase Sub-Committee on June 2 in accordance to the furniture that was received.
The modified order then got the approval of the Director SKIMS, Soura on June 23 and the final, modified order-in accordance with the already received furniture-came out on June 29.
Further, the said firm-Al-Haram Engineering-has been declared as a ‘Liaison Agent’ for the outsider suppliers, therefore, all the orders are routed through it, while as the supplier of the furniture does not even possess the required Quality Certification.
Regarding the details of the consignment that was received before the placement of the order, the supplier of the furniture is stated as ‘Dipanshu Surgical Industries, Ghaziabad’ and the purchaser has been stated as ‘Al-Haram Engineering’ with an e-Way Bill number 421116568736.
The documents state that the Estates Department of the SKIMS, Soura, after the process was over, wrote to the Al-Haram Engineering about the ordered specifications and the modified specification and also informed it about the imposition of 4 per cent overall penalty on the ordered value.
Notably, the order was placed for Brand and Make ‘Ankitech’ – manufactured by M/S Ankit Ployweave Industry Plot No 124, Sector 26 Industrial Area, Bhiwani, however, the ordered goods were procured from M/s Dipanshu Surgical, Ghaziabad, UP and not Brand ‘Ankitech,’ but, it has come to fore that the stickers of ‘Ankitech’ were pasted.
Dr G H Yattoo from the SKIMS Hospital Administration who is also heading the Estates Department told Excelsior that everything has been done as per the set norms and a proper process has been followed. “The Hospital’s Purchase Committee has taken the final decision in this regard”, he added.
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