Journalism of Courage
Lakhs of students in hostels run by the Department of Social Welfare were deprived of computers after it failed to follow the prescribed tender norms while procurement. The auditor general (AG) of Maharashtra noted that the department had to shell out Rs 3 crore extra for the same reason. Copies of the said report have been accessed by Newsline under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
In 2010,the department had decided to start computer centres in 271 government hostels to impart training in MSCIT,personal development,spoken English and competitive examinations. The project was supposed to be over in three years at a cost of Rs 31 crore. Work order was issued to a Malegaon firm the same year.
Subsequently,the HC in 2012 ordered for cancellation of orders and following of the tender process. A special committee was formed to fix the cost of the equipment supplied. The committee in January 2012 fixed the price at Rs 4.88 crore. Also,the tendering process that followed got quotations from four companies.
Hence,from November 2010 to October 2012 (23 months),the computers were lying uninstalled. Due to not inviting tenders in the first place and delay in finalising the second contract,students were deprived of timely training and an extra expenditure of Rs 3.57 crore was incurred by the department, the audit noted.
Activist for Protection of Reservation Dr Sanjay Dabhade pointed out that in want of working computers,students in hostels have to shell out money to access internet in cafes. In todays world,when the stress is more on digitalisation and information technology,official apathy is proving detrimental for students from backward communities. We demand action against officials who had skipped the official process while giving contracts, he said.
