BHOPAL: According to a report published in Times of India, Madhya Pradesh economic offences wing (EOW) has no option but to register an FIR into the alleged Rs 3000 crore e-tender scam if the investigation report submitted by senior IAS officer Manish Rastogi is anything to go by. Rastogi has already paid the price of filing the report. He was transferred from the post of MD, Madhya Pradesh State Electronic Development Corporation (MPSEDC), as revenue commissioner immediately after documenting his findings on the alleged scam and tabling it before the state government.
In the report, Rastogi points out that two companies - TCS and Ms Antares Systems Ltd - "did not pay due care and diligence" to protect the e-procurement system. After analysing explanations given by both companies against showcause notices, Rastogi concluded that there was confusion regarding responsibilities between the two entities.
EOW, which initiated a preliminary inquiry after receiving a complaint from chief secretary B P Singh is yet to register an FIR in this case. The agency is investigating nine tenders, totalling Rs 3,000 crore. Three were floated by PHE department on December 26, which include two projects in Rajgarh - worth 656 crore and 282 crore - and one in Satna of 138 crore. All nine tenders were cancelled after initial investigation revealed tampering in the e-tendering process. The controversy surfaced after one of the companies that was in the fray filed a complaint.
"One entity (Ms Antares) says IDs, which were exploited for this incident, should have been disabled by the other entity (M/s TCS)," Rastogi writes in his report.