No irregularities in fishing harbour tenders, HC told

CHENNAI: There were no irregularities in issuing tenders for establishing two fishing harbours in Kancheepuram and Villupuram districts, the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department said in a counter-affidavit before the Madras High Court.

V Raju, chief engineer, Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Department, submitted the affidavit against the petition filed by P Manivannan, a Chennai-based senior engineering contractor, who had sought the court to quash two tender notifications dated February 27 for the construction of the fishing harbour in Alamparaikuppam in Kancheepuram and Kaluveli waters in Villupuram.

The petitioner had alleged that the respondents were trying to defraud the government funds in a novel way – in addition to the usual manner of tender frauds – which would enrich them and the officials and cause a loss of Rs 22.46 crore to the government. “The respondents are in connivance of authorities responsible for the preparation for the estimation in utter violation of the rules,” Manivannan added. However, the department said in its counter-affidavit that the allegations were false and malicious. “Since the petitioner could not win the tender, he is levelling baseless allegations against the government. The tenders were issued last year and the petitioner is wilfully challenging this now,” the chief engineer said in the counter.

Raju also submitted that the construction works are under way after commencing it in February. “There is no irregularity in the tender process. The tenders were awarded to the concerns which have won the bid. The petitioner also participated in the bid but he was not qualified at the stage of pre-qualification,” the official added.

The court would soon hear the matter.