Singareni tenders: Centre’s Technical team notices a few irregularities

A two-member technical team set up by the Ministry of Coal has reportedly found irregularities in the Naini Coal Block tenders of Singareni and is expected to recommend a CBI probe. The team highlighted violations of regulations, mandatory site visit clauses that restricted bidders, and extravagant CSR spending.

Hyderabad: The two-member Technical team constituted by the Ministry of Coal to examine and analyse Naini Coal Block tenders of Singareni, is learnt to have noticed a few irregularities in the entire exercise. The technical team, it is learnt, is expected to recommend a CBI probe into the irregularities.

The team is reported to have unearthed violations of a few regulations apart from the failure to follow the specified rules in award of tenders.

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A political storm erupted in the State after former Minister T Harish Rao exposed the irregularities in the Singareni tenders. He had charged that new conditions like mandatory Site Visit clauses were introduced to benefit particular companies. He had appealed to Union Minister for Coal G Kishan Reddy to order a CBI or sitting judge probe into the irregularities.

Following this, the Ministry of Coal constituted a two-member technical team to analyse the tenders. Orders to this effect were issued on January 21 and the team was directed to submit its report within three days.

Accordingly, the team, as per sources, submitted its report to the Ministry and noticed the irregularities. It also observed unwanted expenditure by the organisation under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.

During its analysis, the team specifically studied the reasons for cancellation of tenders. The move to make site visit mandatory had influenced the tenders and the Singareni management’s failure to follow the self-declaration clause and insisting on obtaining site visit certificates for bidders, left the technical team surprised, sources said.

By making this certificate mandatory, only such companies or bidders would be eligible for filing the bids. Many other companies, which were being permitted by different government organisations to file bids based on their self-certification basis, would not be eligible to file their bids, the team is said to have stated.

The Singareni Board while exercising powers under the autonomous status indulged in extravagant spending of Rs 10 crore for a private event. The organisation’s CSR funds were meant to be used for the welfare and benefit of its employees and local people, it stressed.