Accused of purchasing inferior quality equipment
for years, Uttar Pradesh Energy Department launched a ‘quality assessment
campaign’ only to lend itself into deeper controversies exposing chinks in its
own armour.
Even reputed suppliers are accusing that in the
name of quality assessment campaign the officials in its DISCOMS such as
Madhyanachal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (MVVNL) are picking samples in an ad hoc
manner without adopting a transparent criterion to settle scores or for
considerations other than quality purchase.
After receiving spate of complaints from members,
the national body of
MSMEs- Federation of Indian Micro and Small &
Medium Enterprises (
FISME), has sent a representation to Principal
Secretary (Energy) and Chairman UP Power Corporation Ltd in whose control is
the MVVNL and demanded an immediate enquiry.
FISME has highlighted that it is an established
practice that inspections are done by the buyer and supplier jointly from
collection of samples from stores to sending it to the designated Labs and
witnessing its testing in the Lab.
However, in the instant campaign the process is
completely ad hoc.
"In utter disregard to contractual practices
for holding/ releasing payments of failed lot/of other supplies, payments to
suppliers are being released or held up based on who has smoked the peace pipe
with officials and who has not," says an
MSME supplier at receiving
end of wrath of MVVNL officers.
FISME brought out these facts in the letter that
the processes adopted are not transparent and decisions based on them are ad
hoc and discretionary- favouring some reprimanding others. Hence, the
goods of inferior quality will continue to be purchased unabated.
FISME has demanded that an enquiry be constituted
headed by a ‘Committee comprising of external experts (from nationally known
agencies such as PGCIL, CEA etc excluding people from UPPCL) to enquire into
the allegations during the processes in recent campaign of quality assessment
of transformers, conductors etc in MVVNL’.
Speaking to KNN India, Anil Bhardwaj Secretary
General of FISME said, “It is important to weed out unscrupulous suppliers, but
it is critical to save and protect genuine reputed suppliers."
Experts have already been pointing out that
faulty public procurement is hastening the de-industrialization of country
as in sectors where Government is the major buyer such as power sector, the
purchasing processes are so rotten that only unscrupulous suppliers could
survive. Slowly, all good quality manufacturers fold in corruption
riddled environment. Little wonder that project imports are rising
exponentially. (KNN Bureau)
