THE Minister for Transport, Mr Ramakrishna Dhavalikar’s statement in the Assembly that the tender document of Shimnit Utsch India, the company awarded the work of supplying high security registration plates (HSRP) to vehicles in the state, was not prepared as per the CPWD manual is intriguing.

Why were steps not taken to proceed against those guilty for it? Significantly, the minister at one stage had suggested vigilance probe in the tender process of the HSRP scam as he was convinced that large scale irregularities had taken place. But nothing of any importance regarding any progress in this direction is known about the inquiry’s findings or actions taken against the persons involved. Incidentally, the high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary, Mr Sanjay Shrivastava, which probed the alleged irregularities in the award of tender for HSRP, found that the process was flawed and had suggested that the concession agreement entered into with Shimnit Utsch India should be revoked. The Goa government entered into a contract with Shimnit Utsch India after the central government permitted state governments to choose any one of the suppliers. It was at that point of time the state government should have seriously examined the tender document and removed the discrepancies, instead of allowing it to linger and cause confusion and scare among the vehicle owners. The government has no justification for not taking prompt action against the culprits. Immediately after receiving the inquiry report the transport department should have approached the finance department and sought legal advice about the prospect of monetary loss the government would have to suffer in case of termination. Why did it fail to do so is a mystery.