Shimla, Aug 30 (PTI) Former Deputy Mayor of Shimla Tikender Panwar has demanded an SIT probe into the bidding process for a water project in the city.

In a letter to chief secretary Prabodh Saxena, Panwar, a CPI(M) leader, also raised concerns over the functioning of the Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL).

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He said all major projects executed by the SJPNL since its inception must be probed while the bidding for the 24x7 water supply project be cancelled.

The Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO) approved the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Rs 490 crore in 2022. However, the company's winning bid in October 2022 was Rs 790 crore and it was only after objections raised by us that the SJPNL cancelled it.

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The fresh bid quoted by the same company in March 20203 are even higher at around Rs 920 crore, he said.

Calling it cartelisation of the bidding process, Panwar said it should be investigated how the bid price increased by 20 per cent in just six months.

He said the SJPNL should prepare an item-wise justification of the rates in accordance with the state Public Works Department schedule of rates and let people know the cost of the project rather than giving away the project merely on the basis of competitive bidding by only two parties, who he alleged have joined hands before the bidding.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)