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Meter Procurement

JS body blasts Desa for 19-month delay

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
A parliamentary body yesterday blasted Dhaka Electric Supply Authority (Desa) officials for taking 19 months to finalise a tender for 10,000 three-phase meters.
The Desa officials came in for flak from the parliamentary standing committee on power, energy and mineral resources ministry also for its attempt to lay blame on the committee chairman for the delay in the procurement process.
Earlier a probe report on the delay in finalising the tender was
submitted yesterday to the parliamentary body. The committee termed the report insufficient and asked the ministry to identify the officials responsible for delay and initiate legal steps against them. It also asked the Desa to issue work order in favour of the lowestbidder.
At the meeting, the parliamentary body also discussed the financial irregularities in the Desa accounts involvingTk970 crore. The Desa submitted a report regarding inconsistency between assets and liabilities figures in its ledger book. The committee rejected the report
and decided to discuss the matter at the next meeting.
While discussing the probe report, a ruling BNP lawmaker and member of the committee questioned the committee chairman’s jurisdiction and accused him of interfering in the ministry’s routine work ignoring the rules of procedure of the Jatiya Sangsad, meeting sources said.
Chairman of the committee, Shahidul Islam, however, denied the allegations outright and said he had in line with the rules examined the
documents of the tender for three-phasemeters.
"I only examined the allegations of delay and did not interfere with the procurement process," the chairman told reporters after the meeting held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
The probe report cited a number of reasons for delay in the purchase after floating the tender in 2003. It said that it took oqe month to form a tender evaluation committee, three months to receive applications from the bidders, one month to prepare primary report about the bidders, about four months to re-fix the date for reopening the tender. It also said intervention by the committee chairman cost 15 days in addition while Desa spent two and half months for seeking advice from the ministry
Awami League lawmaker and committee member Syed Abul Hossain criticised the Desa officials severely. He told the meeting that they (Desa officials) should have explained the reasons for delay. "Disclose the names of the people who interfered with your duties," a meeting source quoted Abul Hossain as asking the Desa officials.
In reply, State Minister for Power Iqbal Hasan Mahmud said he did not interrupt the Desaactivities.
State Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources KM Mosharaf Hossain told the Desa officials off for trying to hold the committee chairman partially responsible for the delay in the purchase of the meters.