L&T says won Tipper trucks contract through bid

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) today said it supplied Scania tipper trucks to Coal India arm BCCL after winning contract in 2013 and would respond to CBI, which filed a case against the company, if approached.

The CBI yesterday had filed a case against former CMD of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) T K Lahiry and other former senior officers of the company in the purchase scam of 100 tippers in 2013 at an “exorbitant cost” which allegedly resulted in wrongful gains of ~97 crore to Larsen and Toubro.

“L&T has become aware of this matter through media reports. In March 2013, as exclusive distributors of Scania Tipper Tucks in India, L&T had participated in an open tender process on behalf of Scania Commercial Vehicles India Limited for supply of 100 units of 35 Tonne type Tipper trucks to BCCL,” the engineering conglomerate said in reply to the query in this regard.

It said L&T’s bid was found to be the most competitive in price (L1) among a total of three bids, based on which an order was placed on L&T and Scania Commercial Vehicles India.

“We will respond appropriately with all necessary facts when approached by any investigation agency,” L&T said.

In its FIR, the CBI has also booked the then directors Ashok Sarkar, Dinesh Chandra Jha, General Managers A N Sahay, S K Panigrahi, Barain Sinha, G Upreti, A K Gangopadhyay, and Larsen and Toubro Pvt Ltd.

It is alleged that the accused persons in pursuance of the criminal conspiracy between 2012 and 2013 had approved the purchase of 100 tippers, a kind of heavy duty truck, for an estimated cost of ~383 crore for replacing existing dumpers.