Some of the contractors in Monggar are not happy with the awarding of construction works in the Dzongkhag. They allege that fronting and corrupt practices are involved during the tendering processes where most of the contractors are often deprive from getting the construction works. They accuse the engineering section and few contractors.
Our reporter, Kinga Tashi, said that the contractors are of the opinion that the Dzongkhag is making lame excuses to grant the tender to one favorable contractor. A group of the contractors even submitted a written complain requesting for immediate action.
Following the submission, a first ever committee, in pursuance to the Local Government Act was formed to investigate the matter.
“On the three investigations we have done, we found that there is a problem. This is because all these tenders are brought to limited tendering at last, and in the limited tendering, there have to be at least three participants taking part in the tender but we found that three different license applying for the contract was actually doing it by one. So this looks like a fronting,” said the Investigation Committee Chairperson, Sangay Tenzin.
One of the contractors said there were also similar cases that required the investigations. He said they had lodged a complaint keeping in mind the larger interest in future.
One of the contractors, Dorji, said almost all the electric works in the Dzongkhag are done by one contractor. The Chairperson of the Dzongkhag Liaison Chairperson said this is not only the case.
“Verbally there were lot of complaints, but very few in written. We have been asking to submit in written if it’s genuine and we got it against one contractor in which the investigation is going on. Even this morning two people came with a complaint,” said Dorji Lekey, Dzongkhag liaison Chairperson.
Meanwhile, the Dzongkhag Engineering Sector did not comment anything for now saying that the investigation report is not in their hand. They said it would be not appropriate to comment at the moment.
