Allegation of handing over the work of Shillong water supply scheme to an outside company without tender

Shillong 4 July : Chief Minister Conrad Sangma in March this year laid the foundation stone of three important projects to strengthen the state’s infrastructure, one of which was the New Shillong Water Supply Scheme. Underlining the importance of the initiatives for the future of the state, Chief Minister Sangma had said the New Shillong Water Supply Scheme, estimated to cost Rs 1,600 crore, is one of the largest state-funded initiatives in the history of Meghalaya.

Chief Minister Sangma highlighted the allocation of Rs 500 crore for the first phase of the project, signifying its vital role in meeting the growing water needs of Shillong and New Shillong Township. But some local contractors, on the condition of anonymity, said that no tender was floated for the construction of this project, rather, without any tender, the work of this project was allotted to a company named BAC Infratech Company based in Andhra Pradesh, which is completely illegal .

He alleged that the responsibility of preparing DPR and issuing tender for any major project lies with the concerned government department but this work was also handed over to a private agency. He said that many contractors in the state who have been working on state projects for many years were not given this opportunity but instead this work was handed over to an outside company without any tender. Now how much truth there is in these allegations is a matter of investigation.