5-minute film on trespass on tracks stuck for 7 months

The cost of the project is Rs 27lakh, of which Rs 16 lakh is being spent on preparing the audio and video film.

However, with bidders filling in their bidding forms incorrectly, MRVC is now in a fix.

Of the seven interested parties initially, only four came forward for the bidding process.

“In the pre-bid meeting we had asked them repeatedly whether they were clear with the process. Everyone appeared confident until they submitted their forms,” said a MRVC official.

According to a source, instead of following the guidelines in the form, bidders ended up giving an entire write-up of their past achievements as proof of their work.

“Most of the technical part, involving the financial position of the company was badly filled up with the numbers not tallying or reflecting in the right columns,” said an officer.

With the Indian Railways often inviting quotations for film related projects, there appears to be no quick remedy for the roadblock for MRVC.

Unable to get any advice from its parent body, the MRVC was forced to inform the World Bank about the technical glitch. True to its ‘strict’ style of functioning, the World Bank is learnt to have asked the MRVC to cancel the tender and issue a fresh one.

For the MRVC this translates into spending nearly six more months before it awards the tender for the project, if the project is to see the light of day.

Prabhat Ranjan, Chief Public Relations Officer, MRVC said, “The trespass film project will be discharged due to technical reasons. It has not been decided yet whether a fresh tender will be issued or not.”

The MRVC plans to seek the assistance of radio and theatres to reach out to its audience.

As a part of the project, two audio films, each a minute long, and two video films, one of which is two minute long and the other is of a duration of five minutes, are to be made to remind and warn suburban railway commuters about the ills and fatality of trespassing.

priyal.dave@expressindia.com