The indefinite hunger strike launched by the Dibrugarh Water Resources Contractors’ Association against alleged nepotism and rampant corruption in allotment of contracts entered second day on Tuesday.
The indefinite hunger strike began on Monday at the office premises of the Water Resources Department’s Division from 11 am.
Lashing out at the State Government, the leaders of the Association alleged that the introduction of e-tendering was a ploy to favour the big contractors and marginalise the small contractors.
According to the Association, even e-tendering was not followed by the department since several big-ticket works were allotted to some big contractors having political backing without going through the e-tendering process.
The Dibrugarh Water Resources Contractors’ Association president Parag Gogoi cited two recent examples when two big contracts were allotted to contractors without going through the tendering process.
One such project was allotted at Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s home constituency Chabua where a Rs 40 lakh project was given to a contractor under the scheme ‘Land reclamation measures at Mulukgaon to choke up spill channels of river Brahmaputra (Ananta Nallah)’.
Similarly, another project worth Rs 46.98 lakh was allotted without tender for ‘Restoration of Bogibeel Aithan ring bund at 4 km (2018-19)’.
“Even contingency fund schemes are given to some select contractors without e-tendering. People with political backings are allotted the works. There is no transparency in the process,” Gogoi further alleged.