Gehlot government favoured firm in Dam project: RTI activist

A local RTI activist accused the Gehlot government of favouring a firm in allotting tender for the Kalisindh Dam project in Jhalawar district.

Jaipur: A local RTI activist here accused the Gehlot government on Sunday of favouring a firm in allotting tender for the Kalisindh Dam project in Jhalawar district and demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter.

He alleged that conditions of the tenders were modified by government in such a manner that the firm, which has no experience of civil work to construct dams, can bag the tender. "Former BJP government floated tenders for the Rs 258 crore project in 2008, but the Gehlot government changed it after elections, scrapped the process and floated fresh tenders with an intention to benefit a particular firm," activist Ashok Pathak told a press conference here. "Several conditions were changed and the firm bagged the tender and the bid was as high as 335 crore. The company had no experience of civil work, but the firm was favoured by none other than the Chief Minister," he alleged. "There are several irregularities in the process and a judicial inquiry in the matter should be constituted", he demanded. When contacted, a government spokesperson said that the Rajasthan government has already rejected such allegations, which were earlier raised by the Opposition. "The allegations are baseless and no firm was favoured at the government level," he said. PTI