Judicial Preview Bill: AP for transparency in bidding

Andhra Pradesh government will set up a mechanism for judicial preview of all biddings for projects that are above Rs 100 crore to bring in transparency into big-ticket deals.

Paving way for the process the state on Friday passed the Andhra Pradesh Infrastructure (Transparency through Judicial Preview) Bill 2019 with a thumping voice vote.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said that this is a beginning of the transparency in governance and it will erase the image of corruption the state has acquired by the misdeeds of the previous government. “This is the first time in the country that such a measure is taken to uproot corruption and bring in transparency in the process of tenders and allotting government works,” he said.

As per the new law, any work that is worth more than Rs 100 crore, even if it is split into fractions, will first be sent for a preview by a Judge. The Judge would place the tender or work on public domain for one week and will seek the opinion from the people. The judge will then scrutinize the tender papers and then give his final decision in eight days, during which time he will be provided with the required technical assistance and logistics which he asks for.

“The entire process takes a fortnight and this is the transparency in governance which we have promised to the people,” he said. Earlier Finance Minister Buggana Rajendernath Reddy alleged that the Bill was necessary as the previous government has institutionalised corruption, mostly in the capital area region favouring foreign companies.

The Bill has identified 25 sectors including Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) that could be considered for the judicial preview. The State aims at bringing in fast-track infrastructure and at the same time is committed to set up a mechanism that could monitor the infrastructure projects under the preview of judge appointed by the high court.