Mumbai: BJP leader Vinod Mishra alleges graft in BMC's IT procurement

Mumbai: The BMC has started a process to procure computer hardware worth Rs 25 crore. But, the purchase will incur the civic body a loss of Rs 7 crore since the rates are inflated by some officials to benefit their favourite vendors, alleged the BJP.

Senior BJP leader Vinod Mishra has demanded to cancel the present tender for sourcing IT hardware and float the same through Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to get more competitive bids.

In a letter written to the BMC administrator I S Chahal, the BJP leader has alleged a nexus between the civic body's IT Department and the couple of hardware and software vendors. “The nexus is so thick that the IT department drafts tender specifications and conditions in such a manner that only these companies can qualify,” said Mishra.

Citing an instance, he said that the desktop, which the BMC is contemplating to buy at Rs 85,000, is available on the GeM portal for approx Rs, 65,000 with three years warranty and on-site services.

Since 2016, total procurement through the GeM portal has touched Rs 2,75,000 crore till March this year. Also, the vendors find easy to bid on the GeM hence the BMC needs to do sourcing from the portal which promotes local hardware, Mishra underlined.

However, Chahal didn't comment on the aforementioned allegations.

Published on: Thursday, August 11, 2022, 10:24 PM IST