The first reverse tendering exercise undertaken by the YSR Congress party government on Friday for package number 65 of the Polavaram major irrigation project has clearly proved that the previous Telugu Desam Party government headed by N Chandrababu Naidu had indulged in massive corruption in the project.
This was stated by minister for major irrigation of Andhra Pradesh government P Anil Kumar Yadav.
He told the reporters in Amaravati on Saturday that the government had saved Rs 58 crore by going in for reverse tendering in one of the packages.
He said that Max infra company which had bagged the tender for the same project during the Naidu regime by quoting 4.8 percent excess of the initial bench mark.
Max infra company secured the bid for Rs 292.02 crores during TDP's regime.
The same firm quoted Rs 231.47 crore for the same works in the present reverse tendering conducted by the Jagan government, thereby saving an amount of more than Rs 58 crore to the government.
“This clearly proves the corruption prevailed in the previous government,” Anil Kumar said.
Reacting on criticism on reverse tendering, he said that with this single project, the chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has proved the benefits of this innovative initiative.
Anil Kumar further blamed that TDP government gave every project with more than Rs 1000 crore with 4 per cent excess.
He said that the Navayuga Engineering Company, which was terminated from the Polavaram contracts also could participate and get the works again under the reverse tendering.
He questioned that when the contracts are giving with lesser than estimated expenditure, then how the TDP could argue that the reverse tendering procedure would delay and increase expenditure.