<p>Public works have taken a hit as Karnataka’s e-procurement portal, the one-stop-shop for tenders, is beset with severe technical glitches ever since it was hacked in August earlier this year. </p>.<p>Though the portal, first introduced in 2005, was shifted to a new hardware platform, it is yet to be streamlined. This has, in turn, affected the tendering process of government works.</p>.<p>Contractors have decided to approach Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar over the e-procurement portal, which they also claim is being misused to benefit contractors who are close to the current administration.</p>.<p>Speaking to <span class="italic">DH</span>, D Kempanna, president of Karnataka State Contractors’ Association, said the problems with e-procurement portal have been persisting for several months now.</p>.<p>“One of the major problems we have faced is the inability to apply for some tenders. This has sparked rumours that only contractors linked to the state government are winning contracts,” he said. </p>.<p>The problems in applying for tenders will have affected projects worth Rs 4,000 cr during the last couple of months, Kempanna noted.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong><span class="bold">Bogus tender</span></strong></p>.<p>R Ambikapathy, president of BBMP Contractors’ Association, alleged that the software flaws have opened doors for ‘bogus tenders’. “There are allegations that tender applications are being selected based on the political loyalties of the contractor. We will complain about these issues,” he said.</p>.<p>Sources in the Public Works Department said that apart from the above problems, officials handling these tender applications are also facing problems due to software glitches.</p>.<p>Officials at the Centre for e-Governance (CeG), who admit that the software needed streamlining, dismissed allegations of nepotism.</p>.<p>According to Vipin Singh, Chief Executive Officer, CeG, some problems had surfaced when the centre was upgrading the portal hardware.</p>.<p>“Since April, we have been enhancing the security features of the software. Currently, the portal is being tested due to which contractors are facing problems,” he said, adding the software is expected to be back to normal “within two weeks or earlier”.</p>.<p>Shifting the platform to new hardware is expected to augment its capacity.</p>
<p>Public works have taken a hit as Karnataka’s e-procurement portal, the one-stop-shop for tenders, is beset with severe technical glitches ever since it was hacked in August earlier this year. </p>.<p>Though the portal, first introduced in 2005, was shifted to a new hardware platform, it is yet to be streamlined. This has, in turn, affected the tendering process of government works.</p>.<p>Contractors have decided to approach Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar over the e-procurement portal, which they also claim is being misused to benefit contractors who are close to the current administration.</p>.<p>Speaking to <span class="italic">DH</span>, D Kempanna, president of Karnataka State Contractors’ Association, said the problems with e-procurement portal have been persisting for several months now.</p>.<p>“One of the major problems we have faced is the inability to apply for some tenders. This has sparked rumours that only contractors linked to the state government are winning contracts,” he said. </p>.<p>The problems in applying for tenders will have affected projects worth Rs 4,000 cr during the last couple of months, Kempanna noted.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong><span class="bold">Bogus tender</span></strong></p>.<p>R Ambikapathy, president of BBMP Contractors’ Association, alleged that the software flaws have opened doors for ‘bogus tenders’. “There are allegations that tender applications are being selected based on the political loyalties of the contractor. We will complain about these issues,” he said.</p>.<p>Sources in the Public Works Department said that apart from the above problems, officials handling these tender applications are also facing problems due to software glitches.</p>.<p>Officials at the Centre for e-Governance (CeG), who admit that the software needed streamlining, dismissed allegations of nepotism.</p>.<p>According to Vipin Singh, Chief Executive Officer, CeG, some problems had surfaced when the centre was upgrading the portal hardware.</p>.<p>“Since April, we have been enhancing the security features of the software. Currently, the portal is being tested due to which contractors are facing problems,” he said, adding the software is expected to be back to normal “within two weeks or earlier”.</p>.<p>Shifting the platform to new hardware is expected to augment its capacity.</p>
