Fresh row over GMADA’s Rs 790-cr tender: Contractors’ association says it floated without preparing DPR on holiday

The association alleged that the original tenders were floated without preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR), a key issue raised before the court. They claim that by postponing the tender date, GMADA now intends to prepare the DPR in the interim. “This is precisely why the office was opened on a holiday on February 1, and the tender date was deferred,” association members alleged.

GMADA Contractors Association president Harshdeep Singh Sra said they were taken by surprise when they learned about the development. “Today was the date of our hearing, and it was then that we came to know about this document. It clearly shows that on February 1, a holiday, the GMADA office was opened and the tender date was postponed,” Sra said.

Sra further said, “During the hearing on their petition, the high court fixed the next date of hearing on February 14, while GMADA has scheduled the next tender date for February 16. We will bring all these facts to the notice of the hon’ble court.”

Reiterating the association’s stand, Sra alleged that through GMADA, the Punjab government is issuing such mega tenders to effectively sideline local contractors. “No contractor in Punjab has the capacity to bid for such massive tenders. This is being done at the behest of the Centre, which will ruin Punjab-based contractors and ensure that only big corporate houses remain eligible,” he alleged, adding that preparations are being made for large-scale irregularities in the process.