NGO alleges graft in Bharatnet project

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Fibrenet Corporation (TANFINET) retained some of the old restrictive clauses and introduced new ones on the technical side while floating bids for Bharatnet project to favour some bidders, alleged a city-based anti-corruption NGO, urging the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Department of Telecom to initiate an inquiry.

In a statement, Jayaram Venkatesan, convenor of Arappor Iyakkam, said that the DPIIT had directed the State government to scrap the earlier tenders floated under Bharatnet project that is being planned for the State at a cost of Rs 2,000.

“After the cancellation of the tender due to discriminatory and restrictive practice, TANFINET had brought down the turnover experience significantly, from 100-120 per cent of the tender value to almost 40-50 per cent of the tender value, to meet CVC guidelines,” the statement said.

TANFINET has brought down the experience of fibre optic laying to 4,000 km from almost 15,000 km and restored the timeline back to 12 months because of the intervention of DPIIT and Department of Telecom.

However, he alleged, the Corporation retained some old restrictive clauses as well as introduced some new ones on the technical side that restricts and kills competition almost completely. “TANFINET has brought the changes to ensure that a specific foreign OEM alone qualifies for electronics part,” Jayaram alleged.

The NGO also urged the State government, DPIIT and department of Telecom to extend the tender submission end date until decision was taken and initiate an inquiry.