News Detail

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">A decision by the public works department to award the contract for laying optical cable along various road networks in the state to Reliance even without the knowledge of works minister V K Ebrahim Kunju has forced the government to seek an explanation from the department secretary.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Though the decision has been cancelled, chief secretary E K Bharat Bhushan has sought an explanation from PWD secretary T O Sooraj following a directive from chief minister Oommen Chandy, as the decision had brought embarrassment to the government.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Sources confirmed that the chief secretary had written in the file seeking explanation of the secretary on why such an award was made without the knowledge or consent of the political leadership. Ibrahim Kunju had referred the matter to the chief minister with a strong dissent note through the chief secretary after Sooraj issued orders for awarding the contract.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">The department had, on 05.11.2013, accorded sanction to M/s Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd to lay 1428.42 km and 1,877.84 Km of optical fibre cable respectively along various road networks within the state as part of the 4G project.&nbsp;</span></span></span><span style="color:rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family:arial; font-size:11px; line-height:1.6em">These included roads under the PWD divisions of Kottayam, Thrissur and Palakkad and PWD NH divisions of Kodungalloor and Thiruvananthapuram. The company was also asked to remit a performance bank guarantee of INR 100/route metre towards the restoration of roads and to strictly comply with the ministry of road transport and highways guidelines while undertaking the work.</span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">The company was also asked to pay the rent and user fee for using the PWD roads as undertaken by them for the work. The matter was brought to the notice of the minister only after the order was issued. He is learnt to have forwarded the file to the chief secretary with his adverse comments regarding the award without his concurrence.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">The department issued another order on January 2, saying that the award stands cancelled. &quot;All steps, action taken in consequence to the two government orders (awarding the contract) will be null and void, including all the agreement executed into between M/s Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. and public works department,&quot; it said.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">However, the official explanation being given by the department is that the company had been found not meeting the guidelines laid out by the ministry in September 2000 for laying OFCs along the highways.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Source-On Request</span></span></span></p>