Palike, State defend inviting pre-qualified tenders

During the hearing of a petition by former Mayor P R Ramesh and others, who had challenged the tender notification issued in September, 2009, Advocate General Ashok Harnahalli submitted that the Government had agreed to the pre-qualified tender after studying the detailed project report and blue print.

He said that the Rs 13,000-crore project will be implemented in a phased manner. In the first stage, the BBMP will take up a Rs. 3,248-crore project including flyover from Hebbal junction to the High Grounds police station. He said, after seeing the pre-qualified tender terms, the government had given its approval on December 12, 2009. He said on the  same day the proposal got a cabinet approval and BBMP had short listed the names of the contractors.

The division bench comprising Justice V Gopala Gowda and Justice AS Bopanna directed the BBMP to submit the then BMP’s resolution regarding tender appointing authority in the corporation.

The bench has questioned the constitutional validity of the pre-qualified notification. It had observed that according to the Corporation Act, only council has power to issue the notification. The petitioners have stated that the tender notification issued on September 23, 2009 and January 1, 2010 was contrary to the Karnataka Municipal Council (KMC) Act and the Transparency Act.