Times of India: Indore: Monday,
February 03, 2014.
For Indore's
Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport, stop-gap arrangement seems to have become a
permanent fixture. A Delhi-based company which was given the parking contract
for the airport, is being offered one after another extensions by Indore
airport authorities. The contract given to the company way back in November
2012 just for two months, is yet to expire.
The airport
witnesses a large number of four and two-wheelers everyday and the earning runs
into several lakhs every month. It is one of the prime sources of revenue for
the airport.
Documents
received through RTI bring forth the startling fact. The Delhi-based company,
minting money by handling the parking at the airport, has managed to extend the
contract for six consecutive times in the last one and half years. As per the
airport guidelines, contract to any company can not be extended for more than
six months.
The RTI
revelation is raising several eyebrows as to why the airport authorities are
not awarding a regular contract for the purpose. A regular contract for parking
is for three-years.
The documents
received through RTI reveal that on June 26, 2012 Indore airport called
quotation for stop-gap arrangement of parking, which was participated by five
companies. Out of these, only the Delhi-based company was found technically
qualified and was awarded a temporary contract for two months expiring January
2013 at licence fee of Rs 4.08 lakh per month with clause of extension of
another two moths until March 2013.
Just few days
before expiry of the contract, the company wrote a letter to Indore airport in
March 2013, expressing interest in extending contract on the existing terms and
condition. Indore airport, which was not able to finalize a regular contract,
urged the company to increase the fee by 10% and finally the contract was
extended for another three months with a revised fee of Rs 4.28 lakh per month
apart from service tax.
Again just
few days before expiry of contract in May 2013, the company urged the airport
authorities to extended the contract on existing rate to which the airport
authorities agreed and extended it till July 2013.
In the
meantime, Indore airport invited tenders for regular contract for the parking
in June 2013 and this time only one company participated. Though the Delhi-based
company refused to participate in the tender process, yet again appealed the
airport authorities on the eve of expiry of the temporary contract, to extend
it offering a 10% hike in the existing fee. To a surprise of all, the airport
authorities readily extended the contract till November 2013 on a fee of Rs
4.71 lakh per month and service tax.
The company
has been awarded the extension on the plea that regular contract may take time
to clear.
The documents
received through RTI further reveal that the only company that was qualified in
regular contract bid was not given the contract even after the company has
revised its fee from Rs 4.31 lakh per month to Rs 5.05 lakh per month.
The company
then wrote yet another letter to the Indore airport authorities just few days
after opening of financial bid offering to continue contract with another hike
of 7.5%. And the amount offered by the company was Rs 5,06,583 lakh per month
which is just Rs 1,000 more than what the company that had participated in
regular contract was offering.
Offer of a
regular contracts was rejected and yet again the temporary contract of the
Delhi-based company was extended for another three months till February 2014 at
the rate of Rs 5.10 lakh per month.
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