The Times of India  12.08.2010

Infrastructure firm staffers attacked

KOLKATA: A city infrastructure company has allegedly been prevented from participating in the tendering procedure of a Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) project by a self-styled contractor association.

According to an FIR lodged at Bidhannagar East police station (Salt Lake), officers of Adhunik Infrastructures were attacked last Tuesday by a group (under a registered contractors' association) while submitting their tender documents at Salt Lake's Unnayan Bhavan. The Rs 67-crore drainage and sewerage project for Kamarhati is funded under JNNURM.

Apparently, a group of 200-odd contractors has created its own banner and been taking turns to quote the "lowest fictitious bid", thereby bagging contracts. Sukumar Sanyal, executive director of Adhunik Infrastructures, told TOI: "We have taken part in various road construction projects some of them were PWD's. We have built roads for HRBC... This was our second brush with KMDA. We are shocked at what happened last Tuesday."

Sanyal added: "We have made some inquires and found out that this association keeps surfacing to participate in some of the bids floated by KMDA. They don't take kindly to participation from companies not within their own fold. Three months ago, similar treatment was meted out to another infrastructure company."

Sumit Datta, chief engineer (sewerage and drainage), KMDA, said: "The incident defeats the government's intention of getting quality work done at the lowest competitive price. We will inquire into the matter. We will also get to the bottom of the association's ways."