Huge corruption, irregularities and kickbacks by OPTCL officials
while selecting final bidder M/s High Tech Systems & Services,
Kolkatta, an authorised channel partner of M/s Tower Solutions Inc., Canada,
a Manufacturing Company for supply of ERS
( Emergency Restoration System)
Materials for 400 KV transmission Line Network
(Exposed during inspection of ERS 400 KV
materials under Right to Information Act)
( Mr. Hemant Sharma,
IAS is serving as CMD
of Odisha Power Transmission
Corporation Limited for 7 years- what for
and what is the interest of Chief
Minister office to allow an officer to
continue in a single post for 7 years).
Reason is only loot of public money. Here is cited an example
Dear friends
RTI Act has not only empowered citizens
to access information held by the
Public authorities but to inspect files, documents, work and office of any public authority following due procedure under the law. Following section 6 of RTI Act, I had submitted
RTI Application dt. 27.6.17 to the PIO, office of Odisha Power Transmission
Company Limited ( OPTCL) , Govt. of Odisha “seeking
opportunity of Inspection of Tower Materials supplied
by Tower Solutions, Canada which has been stored under DGM, ESP Store along with two
Technical Expert . All the documents
relating to purchase and supply of quantity of materials by the company and
proof of receipt of the materials by the authority should be available during
inspection. The Technical team of OPTCL should be available to respond the
query”.
On 1.7.17., My RTI Application was transferred to
General Manager, E.H.T., Stores Division, OPTCL to provide me opportunity of
inspection of materials. But my application was kept pending for 4
months without any response and I was
not allowed for inspection. When I filed first appeal dt. 26.10.17, the PIO immediately
sent me a letter for inspection of materials. However, On
15.11.17, I was allowed for inspection of ERS materials in presence of store
keepers of stores of OPTCL located at Mancheswar, Bhubaneswar.
Background of the
inspection
From the RTI
query it was found that, in August,
2015, OPTCL had released
advertisement inviting
International Competitive bidding in e-tendering mode only from reputed
manufacturer, type testing, inspection, loading at factory,
transportation to & unloading at site / stores including
guaranteed obligation for supply of lightweight aluminium, modular type emergency restoration system (ERS) suitable for 400kv transmission line Network of OPTCL with an estimated
cost of Rs. 130 Million. Following
due tender procedure, OPTCL finally awarded this work to M/s High Tech Systems & Services,
Kolkatta, an authorised channel partner of M/s Tower Solutions Inc., Canada, a Manufacturing Company (?).
As per Tender Advertisement, the bidder should
be a manufacturer or their
authorised channel partner of 400KV
ERS tower for which he submits the offer. From the document
produced by the final bidder, it was found that the major items like Foundation Base plate, Foundation Base Artiulation,
Tower sections ( TSMast), Universal attachment , Gin Pole etc. are manufactured
and type tested at Laser
AMP, Granby, QC, Canada, whereas
the supplier is “ Tower Solutions Inc. , 7030 Woodbine Ave, Suite 500 , Markhan , ON L3R6G2, Canada, which has claimed as manufacturing company at
international level. While browsing the website, it was also found that Tower Solution , Canada is a
Company having ISO 9001 certificate
for sales, engineering and
supply of emergency tower for the high
voltage transmission industry, training
of electrical utility companies
in using temporary tower and consulting to electricity utility companies.
It has also specialisation in transmission Modular Restoration Towers
used for emergency restoration of high voltage transmission lines. It is a
supplying-partner of Manufacturing
Company Laser AMP, Canada.
Now the question comes, when Canada solutions is not a
manufacturing company, why and how
OPTCL, a company functioning under Energy Department, Govt. of Odisha awarded
work to a
fake company violating principle of advertisement inviting bidder for supply of ERS materials.
Manipulating all procedures at direction
of Hemant Sharma, IAS , CMD, OPTCL and preparing forged documents , the officials awarded
Tower Solutions, Canada a fake manufacturing
company to supply the materials.
It was proved during my
inspection of materials on 15.11.17
On 15.11.17,
I along with my two RTI Activist-friends
Sri Sachikant Pradhan and Sri Bikash Mohanty visited EHT Store sub-Division,
Mancheswar to inspect the materials supplied Canada Solutions. This ERS (Emergency Restoration Systems)
material for 400 KV line network is essential
during emergency situation to ensure supply of electricity. After
reaching on the spot, I met General Manager, Stores Division and
store-keepers to show the materials and
asked them to explain technicalities of materials. They expressed their helplessness to explain me details, as
they do not have idea about this
technology. On query about who are the technical persons of OPTCL having knowledge about this
technology, they replied that no such technical person is available in OPTCL. I
got astonished why OPTCL purchased
this ERS materials, when it does
not have expertise to handle it.
Then, while
inspecting materials, I asked them to show name of Tower Solutions, Canada written
as manufacturer on any item of materials supplied . After thorough search, I could not trace
out a single item manufactured by Tower Solutions. All
the materials are manufactured by
company of Malaysia, China and US. Tower Solutions,
Canada , claims to be manufacturer company is basically a supplier company
which we have already exposed and
submitted complaint to Chief Secretary on 24.7.17 seeking
vigilance inquiry into it.
Now, it is proved that how OPTCL by manipulating all official procedure and
preparing fake document have selected a
fake company i..e, Tower solutions to supply the ERS
materials. It was learnt
that crore of rupees
has been given bribe to top officials of OPTCL to get the order.
It was also learnt that “ this materials are not technically
sound and effective to address the problem. The company
has not supplied genuine and technically viable materials”. Though I persuaded to take photograph of materials, the
officials did not allow me to take it.
It shows how Odisha suffers due to
corruption and irregularities
engineered by officials under Nabin Patnaik, Chief Minister of
Odisha, We will expose more corruption in OPTCL very soon.
Pradip Pradhan
RTI Activist, Odisha
M-9937843482
Date-16.11.17
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