Hyderabad: BRS leader and former minister Harish Rao alleged Singareni tender manipulation in the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and accused the Congress government of allowing contractor cartels to influence major projects.
In a statement issued on Sunday, he said the –12% bid recorded in the SRP OC-II tender had exposed the alleged cartelisation in Singareni tenders. According to him, the result showed how contractor groups were operating under the present government.
Harish Rao said the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) had earlier raised concerns over irregularities in Overburden (OB) tenders. He claimed the controversial site visit certificate system was used to control bidders and favour select contractors.
The BRS leader also pointed out that the financial bid opening for the SRP OC-II tender at Srirampur was postponed seven times. He said the repeated postponements raised suspicions that efforts were being made to facilitate a contractor cartel.
–12% bid raises questions over Singareni tender manipulation
Harish Rao said authorities eventually opened the financial bids after pressure from BRS and increasing public scrutiny. Once the bids were opened without restrictions, the tender reportedly closed at –12%.
He claimed this was the first negative bid recorded after the introduction of the site visit certificate system in Singareni tenders.
According to him, the result exposed the alleged Singareni tender manipulation and indicated how contractor rings could influence pricing. He argued that when cartelisation collapses, genuine competition returns and tender rates drop.
Harish Rao further alleged that earlier tenders finalised between +7% and +10% were not genuine market outcomes. Instead, he claimed they reflected manipulation by contractor groups operating within the tender system.