Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Vehicle Owners’ Association has raised serious objections to the new unitary tender system for hiring vehicles alleging favouritism and corruption in the process under which a single player is engaged for renting out all categories of vehicles. The civic body, however, has claimed that the new system would ensure transparency and avert corruption, unlike the earlier system under which no tenders were floated. The association has alleged that the new system is a designed by BMC deputy commissioner (vehicle) to benefit a particular firm and to mint money in the process.
The decision has hit the livelihoods of hundreds of vehicle owners who were dependent on BMC, the association members said. They also alleged that under the new system, the conditions are so harsh that they failed to participate in the bidding process. Stating that the BMC is shelling out twice the amount it was paying to vendors under the old system, the association claimed the civic body has conveniently forgotten to pay their bills worth around Rs 5 crore, pending since 2022. Despite several reminders, the BMC is not clearing the bills and is taking several alibis, they alleged. The association members had been engaging their vehicles like cars, tippers, JCB machines and buses with BMC without any tenders since 2009- 10. However, they have not received any work order since 2022, they alleged.
Earlier, the daily rental for a hyva (a heavy vehicle) was pegged at Rs 3,000, but the civic body has decided to dole out Rs 8,400 for the same vehicle to the new player. Similarly, the civic body was earlier paying Rs 2,600 for tippers which has now gone up to Rs 7,200 and for JCB machines to Rs 1,500, instead of the earlier Rs 1,300. Likewise, TATA Ace vehicle charges have gone up to Rs 1,800 from Rs 1,000, they said. The association members wondered how a tender would lead to an escalation of charges instead of a reduction in it. The vendors had staged an agitation at the BMC office here, Saturday, and submitted a memorandum to the Mayor and Commissioner.
Alleging favouritism in the tender system, association member Dibyalochan Sahu said, “We are unable to participate in the bidding as they have set the annual turnover criteria at Rs 8 crore. In this backdrop, the rationale behind hiring vehicles at double the rentals raises a stink.” Sahu demanded immediate cancellation of the tender and payment of their dues at the new rates. When asked, Deputy Mayor Ashok Lenka said, “There was massive corruption in the old system under which no tender was floated for hiring of vehicles. So, we decided to introduce an open bidding system in order to ensure transparency. However, the agitating vendors neither participated in the tender nor did they object to it. And, now they are making baseless allegations.” BMC Commissioner Rajesh Pravakar Patil, however, feigned ignorance about the issue.