Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, July 6: Fate of much awaited Critical Care Ambulances, which are to be deployed along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway for emergency services, still hangs in balance as the Government is likely to take more time for taking a final decision on the tender controversy.
Even as the departmental committee for looking into the complains against alleged irregularities in the Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) for converting and fabricating of vehicles as Critical Care Ambulance, submitted its report to the Director Health Jammu yesterday, there is no conclusive observation by the panel, official sources informed the Excelsior.
The Director Health is learnt to have forwarded this report further to the Administrative Department for studying the same and taking technical opinion before a final decision on the nature of complaints, sources added.
Pertinent to mention that despite the passage of over a year and procurement of 25 vehicles for their modification as Critical Care Ambulances, the proposal in this regard could not take practical shape following a controversy over the rate contract finalized between the Government and Himachal Pradersh based firm M/s Esteem Industries INC, which was awarded the tender.
The tenders were advertised and the order was placed to the firm in 2012 after approval of the rate. However, the rate contract and the order in favour of this firm were kept in abeyance by the Government for unknown reasons. This was challenged by the firm in the court, which quashed the abeyance order.
Meanwhile, some other competitor firms submitted their complaints to the Government against alleged flaws in the Notice Inviting Tender. Acting on these complaints, the Government recently constituted a committee to look into the objections and submit a report to the Director Health Services Jammu.
The committee, headed by Deputy Director Health (Headquarters) Baldev Raj Sharma and comprising Chief Accounts Officer, Medical Superintendent Gandhi Nagar Hospital and Dr K K Gupta as the members, studied all the complaints and prepared a detailed report, sources informed.
In the report, sources added, the committee has mentioned each and every complaint with its remarks on legitimacy of the grievance but refrained to give a concluding observation, sources added without elaborating reasons for the same.
The report was submitted on Tuesday to the Director Health Jammu who is learnt to have forwarded the same to the Administrative Department today for further action.
Even as no major abnormality has been detected in the tender except a few lacunas, sources said that the Administrative Department is likely to take technical opinion of the Finance and other departments over the NIT conditions and objections.
As the entire process is understood to take some time, no early decision by the Government is likely on inviting fresh tenders or restoring its previous order to the firm, which has been allotted the contract, sources explained.
When contacted the Minister of State for Health (Independent Charge), Shabir Ahmed Khan said that the project got delayed as the matter was sub-judice. However, the case has been disposed-off now and we have also received four out of 12 Critical Ambulances while the remaining will be received in next few days, he added.
Regarding the committee report, he said that a final decision would be taken soon without compromising on the set guidelines and norms for such contracts.
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