Medical scam in East Corpn: Oppn

'Rules bypassed in awarding contracts'

The East Delhi Municipal Corporation has changed tender rules to enable blacklisted drug companies to supply medicines to government hospitals under its limits, said Leader of the Opposition Varyam Kaur on Thursday.

The Congress leader raised the matter at the EDMC’s Standing Committee meeting and demanded a CBI enquiry. “It’s a serious matter as the BJP-ruled corporation is playing with the lives of people. A CBI enquiry must be initiated immediately,” she said.

She alleged that the corporation had tweaked tender rules to allow drug companies with ‘low’ annual turnover to also bid for contracts to supply medicines to hospitals under the civic agency.

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation requires companies bidding for contracts to supply antibiotics and heart medicines to have an annual turnover of at least Rs 75 crore. The East Corporation’s requirement is only Rs 25 crore.

According to a tender enquiry form, a copy of which is available with Deccan Herald, any firm which is blacklisted by any government department in the last three years, will be debarred from supplying medicines.

But Alpa Laboratories Limited — one of the firms which was awarded a contract — has been blacklisted by Employee’s State Insurance Corporation on May 10, 2013 for three years for supplying drugs of inferior quality. The firm was also debarred from supplying medicines to hospitals under the North Corporation.

According to the enquiry form, suppling of drugs by a third party is not allowed. But Joint Pharmaceuticals was procuring medicines from a third party and supplying it to the hospitals, the documents said.

Sanjay Surjan, Chairman of the Standing Committee in EDMC said, “We will discuss the matter with the officials involved in the tender process. If anyone is found guilty, stringent action will be taken against him.”