Political ‘fight’ leads to cancellation of tenders

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, April 17

The Food and Supply Department has allotted these tenders to a new contractor who is known for his proximity to a Congress leader. The re-allotment of these lifting and cartage tenders has been made on the basic rates.

However in this over two-weeks ‘fight’ between the Akalis and Congress on the allotment of tenders, it was the farmers and commission agents who were left in lurch as almost nil lifting of the procured wheat from Faridkot grain market has left no space for the arrival of the produce.

Atinder Kaur, district food and supply controller (DFSC) said the allotment of tenders to the first contractor was cancelled as there was sluggish lifting of the procured wheat in the mandis. Out of total 4 lakh procured bags of wheat (each containing 50 kg of wheat) in Faridkot grain market, the contractor was able to transport only 25,700 bags to the stores of various procurement and purchasing agencies, said the DFSC.

As this slow-movement of the wheat was leading to glut like situation in the grain market here and the contractor was violating a mandatory condition of lifting the produce from the grain market within 72 hours of procurement, so the tender has been cancelled, said Atinder Kaur.

Krishan Dev, a sub contractor of the first contactor, looking after the labour work , said the contract was cancelled under political pressure. He alleged the Congress leader had warned the truckers and tractor-trailer operators not to provide vehicle to them for the transportation of the wheat.

Now with the new contractor to make the wheat lifting, the farmers and commission agents have yet to get a sigh of relief. “Like the Akalis’ connected contractor, this new Congress’ linked contractor also want the commission agents to make the lifting of the wheat on their own”, said the commission agents (ahartiyas) in Faridkot, preferring anonymity.

Though these contractors promise to reimburse us for the expenses borne on the lifting and transportation but our past experience has taught us that getting reimbursement from these political connected contractors is a herculean task, said the contractors.

As the farmers build pressure on us to create space in the mandis for the arrival and unloading of their produce, the poor lifting at the end of contractors caught us in difficult situation, said the commission agents. For this reason, most of times we succumb to the pressure and arrange the vehicles to lift the procured stock on the behest of the contractor but latter rarely compensate us, rue the commission agent.

It is not only Faridkot grain market which is facing glut like situation with no lifting of procured wheat. In Kotkapura also, the contractor is not lifting the wheat as Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued stay orders after one of the aspirant contractors challenged the allotment of tenders to his rival. “We are hopeful of ending this impasse in the next 24 hours”, said the DFSC.