Cuttack, Oct 2: After prolonged deliberations, the Cuttack district administration has invited tenders for event management of this year's Bali Yatra. However, allegations have surfaced over the tender conditions, with claims that certain clauses could favour a particular agency for the estimated ₹10-crore contract.
The event management work has been divided into two parts. Work related to stage construction, seating arrangements, lighting and decoration has been earmarked at around ₹6 crore and will be awarded through a quality-based evaluation process.
Under this system, participating agencies will be asked to present their plans and proposed arrangements before officials. The agencies will then be evaluated on the basis of their presentations, with the highest-scoring bidder set to receive the contract.
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Critics have alleged that such a system could allow the contract to be awarded to a preferred agency through the marking process.
The remaining work, including food arrangements, card printing and other services, has been estimated at around ₹4 crore. This portion will reportedly be awarded to the lowest bidder.
Questions Over Tender Conditions
According to the allegations, agencies normally pay a maximum application fee of around ₹11,000 for such tenders. However, the Bali Yatra tender reportedly requires applicants to deposit ₹1 lakh, which critics claim could discourage smaller agencies from participating.
The tender reportedly also states that the application amount will not be refunded if an agency fails to secure the contract.
Questions have also been raised over the security deposit. While a 3% security deposit on a ₹6-crore contract would amount to around ₹18 lakh, the tender reportedly requires the selected agency to deposit ₹30 lakh.
Another issue concerns the bidding period. According to the allegations, financial rules require at least 21 days for a tender involving work worth ₹10 crore. However, the district administration has reportedly kept the bidding window open for only 10 days.
The tender also reportedly requires participating agencies to have an annual turnover of at least ₹30 crore.
Allegation of Favouritism
Allegations have been levelled that the tender conditions were modified from the applicable Finance Department norms to favour a particular agency based in Berhampur.
However, these allegations have not been independently established.
The controversy has also raised questions over the utilisation of government funds allocated for the annual Bali Yatra. The state government provides financial assistance for the festival, and critics have sought greater transparency in how the funds are spent.
When contacted, District Culture Officer Dilip Jena declined to comment on the matter.
