EMBOLDENED BY PUBLIC TONGUE-LASHING BY CM, HRDD CUTS NOTICES AGAINST SUPPLIER, MULLS BLACKLISTING
SUBASH RAI
Government schools are now more than a month into a new academic session [they reopened on 07 Feb 2011] and the supply of textbooks late by a fortnight from the final deadline of 03 March. The supplier, who had reportedly fibbed excuses blaming the printers to demanding increase in rates to even flaunting his “connections”. The Department was frustrated, and even as it contemplated action against the supplier, final motivation came from the public tongue-lashing served up by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling yesterday, pulling up the supplier for the inexcusable delay in delivering the text books.
Once again, it took an initiative by the Chief Minister to ensure concrete results, and the Human Resource Development Department was in a flurry of activity today, hammering out a notice to the truant supplier and even contemplating black-listing him from future printing jobs.
The Chief Minister, while speaking at an official function at Chintan Bhawan yesterday, had lashed out against the supplier for not delivering school textbooks on time. The concerned supplier today “promised” the HRDD Secretary, R. Telang, that he will complete the supplies by next week.
It is learnt that the supplier, Quality Stores, was awarded the job after he bid the lowest rate. This Rs. 1.37 crore work order was supposed to be completed by 03 March 2011. It remains incomplete.
Speaking to NOW!, the HRD Minister, NK Pradhan, who convened an emergency meeting with senior officials of his Department today, said, “Seeing the deadline passing, the department had issued several notices to the supplier but he excused himself blaming the printing press of delaying because the cost of paper had gone up.”
The last notice served to the supplier was on 08 March, last Tuesday.
RP Poudyal, HRDD Director [HQ], informs that the notices have even threatened him of blacklisting from the panel of the suppliers of the Department.
“He was insisting that we increase the tender amount and we told him that the Department could not do so as it was his responsibility to supply the consignment on time and at rates he himself offered,” said Mr. Poudyal.
The Minister adds, “Textbooks for primary schools have been supplied as per contract, but textbooks from Class VI-XII are yet to be supplied.”
“He has asked two weeks time to complete the supply of the consignment,” Mr. Pradhan informs.
Meanwhile in the Department, a proposal has also been put up to blacklist the said supplier.
“We are planning that the tender notice for next year include a sentence stating that the tender documents of last year’s [2011] supplier will not be entertained,” said the Director.
The total value of tender was Rs. 1,37,61,935 and the tender bid was opened on 18 December 2010. Quality Stores, which bid the lowest, received the work order the same month. The same firm has been supplying the textbooks to the Department for the last few years.
Officials at the Department even suspect that implementation of better check & balance systems in the supply of consignments, which ensured against short-supply, must have reduced the profit-margin of the supplier, leading to the delay and the demand for a hike in rates.
Today’s meeting also put up a proposal to purchase the remaining textbooks from private vendors to meet the shortage, if the supplier fails to supply the consignment even by next week, the Director informs.
It may be recalled that delayed supply of textbooks because of the mismatch between the winter [in Sikkim] and summer sessions in the rest of the country [for which textbook releases are timed], had led the State Government to buy copyright from the NCERT [which publishes CBSE course books] so that it could publish the books on its own and issue them on time for students here. This copyright permission is renewed every year and does not come cheap. When the supplier plays late despite this heavy investment, it is bound to attract reprimand.
Why has the Minister HRDD got into action only after the CM's outburst. Does he not know whats happening in his Department, he shud have called for a meeting as soon as school started and found that books were not delivered!!! Now waiting for an announcement for some award received by the state of Sikkim for best education in smaller states!!!
ReplyDeleteDelay in supply of textbooks is an annual feature that has been plaguing the department for long and causes irreparable harm to the children's education. It is beyond comprehension why the Department cannot have a fool proof system in place inspite of over three decades of experience. There should be no excuses and the officers concerned are equally to blame as is the supplier. It remains to be seen whether genuine change will come or whether next year also we will be reading a similarly written article. That will be the acid test of effective governance. Quality education will remain a remote goal if we cannot bring about such basic changes in the way we work.
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