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HP High Court takes serious action against contractor for incomplete projects
Shimla, June 23
The High Court of Himachal has recently addressed a concerning situation regarding a contractor who has failed to initiate or complete a significant number of awarded projects. A Division Bench, comprising Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Satyen Vaidya, took note of the matter during a hearing on a petition filed by Sanjeev Kumar Bhandari.
According to the petitioner, who is a Government Contractor, he was awarded the construction project for Dosa-Ra-Tharu-Putlifald, Lower Brahmfald Jhared Galu, Chanouta road. However, on September 4, 2021, the Executive Engineer of HP PWD, Dharampur Division, District Mandi, issued an order re-inviting tenders for the same project. Seeking intervention, Bhandari approached the High Court, requesting the quashing of the re-tendering order and demanding that the tender be awarded to him.
During the hearing, it came to light that the petitioner had been awarded a total of 66 contracts/works. Shockingly, the majority of these projects had either not been initiated or remained incomplete despite being started.
Taking a serious view of the matter, the Court has directed the petitioner to submit an affidavit outlining a clear timeline for completing the unfinished projects. The Court further emphasized that no department of the State Government, Board, or Corporation should release any funds to the petitioner/contractor without the express permission of the Court.
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Meanwhile, the Principal Secretary of HPPWD has been instructed to take action against the negligent officials/officers responsible for allowing the contractor to default on project commencement or abruptly cease ongoing work. Despite the contractor’s failure to fulfill previous obligations, fresh contracts were awarded to him without appropriate action being taken.
The Court has scheduled the filing of a fresh status report on the matter for July 13, 2023
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