Forest Department cancels Triund trek tender, fresh bids invited

The Divisional Forest Officer, Dharamsala, on behalf of the Dharamsala Forest Circle Eco Tourism Society, has invited fresh offline bids for managing a souvenir shop and operating a toilet block at Gallu, the base point of the popular Triund trek in the Dhauladhar range.

The earlier tender, issued on September 15, was cancelled after allegations of irregularities in the bidding process, raising doubts of corruption and lack of transparency.

Some applicants had complained that the bids were not opened as per the prescribed procedure. According to the rules, tenders should have been opened in front of the bidders, who were required to sign for negotiations and allocation.

Arvind Sharma, one of the bidders, alleged that the process was conducted behind closed doors. As per the notice, bids were to be opened at 2:30 pm on September 26, but applicants were called into the office two hours later. By then, the tender box had already been opened by forest department officials.

In his complaint to higher authorities, Sharma alleged that employees were seen opening technical and financial bid envelopes and making notes in the absence of bidders. He added that at one stage, a staff member carried the documents out of the room, citing the need to obtain signatures, and returned later. He claimed no official announcement was made about which bidders had been excluded at the technical stage or declared eligible for the financial round.

Reports also surfaced that two cheques submitted by applicants were found missing on the spot, further raising questions over transparency. Another bidder alleged that the tender box was tampered with before applicants were called in by the department.

Following the objections, forest officials confirmed that the process was cancelled and a new tender notice has now been issued. “This time, we will open the box and envelopes in the presence of the evaluation committee and interested bidders,” a senior official said. The bids are scheduled to be opened on October 4 this year.