Gangsters snatch tenders, drive away contractors
A local gang on Monday prevented bonafide contractors from submitting tender at the Panchagarh civil surgeon's (CS) office for supply of medicines and surgical requisites.
The aggrieved contractors alleged that politically influential local syndicates, having taken a bribe of Tk 20 lakh, allowed only three companies to submit 18 bids against six categories. The law requires a minimum of three biddings against a single category. The gang deployed by the syndicates stopped other contractors at the CS office gate and snatched their envelopes, containing the tender papers.
A few contactors also submitted written complaints to the CS, urging him to invite fresh tender.
On October 17, the civil surgeon office invited tender for work in six categories.
As many as 142 schedules were sold until November 28, the last date of sale of tender documents. December 3 was the last date for dropping schedules at the CS office.
A representative of the Two-Star Enterprise from Mymensingh, Sabbir Ahmed told the reporters that a gang of about 30-35 youths snatched from him five sealed envelops, containing pay orders and necessary papers for participating in the tenders.
“They (the gang) forcibly took me to Panchagarh bus terminal and asked me to leave the town,†Sabbir said.
Owner of the Two-Star Enterprise Nasiruddin later filed a written complaint with the civil surgeon office and urged the CS to float a fresh tender.
Owner of Jawad Drug House in Dhaka, Abdur Rahim, told this correspondent over cell phone that his representative could not to submit the bids as a gang of about 30-35 youths waylaid him.
Nazrul Islam, owner of Aleya Corporation in Dhaka had the same tale to tell. He said that the public exchequer will ultimately suffer losses for such a syndicated move that manipulated the prices.
Every year the CS office in Panchagarh spends about Tk 1.5 crore to procure medicine surgical requisites (MSR).
Three companies from Dhaka have been supplying items for the last two years and interestingly, they are the only ones who were “allowed†to submit the bids, Nazrul Islam said.
Civil Surgeon Dr. Mozammel Haque told this correspondent that he was not aware of any such incident. “We are unable to do anything (fresh tender) due to their delayed complaints,†he said.
On 28 November tender schedules were snatched from two contractors allegedly by Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Jubo League activists on Panchagarh civil surgeon (CS) office premises, contractors alleged.
Md Shahan Shah and Waliur Rahman, representatives of Aleya Corporation and Banani Medical Store, Dhaka faced a similar wrath on the day when they emerged from the CS's office after buying the schedules. A group of BCL and Jubo League men snatched the schedules from them.
Besides submitting allegations to complaining to the CS, the two men also lodged complaints with the deputy commissioner office and sought the DC's intervention in the matter.
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