Contractor protests muscling out from tender process, wins High Court order to gain entry

GANGTOK, 28 April: Anand Lama, a contractor from Pani House, Gangtok, has won himself a court order allowing his bid for a contract work to be accepted by the Buildings & Housing Department after he was ‘blocked’ from submitting his bid by a group of youth who had allegedly stationed themselves outside the concerned office to bar those from outside their nexus from bidding for the work.
In a press release issued today, Mr. Lama has heralded the Court verdict announced in his favour by the High Court of Sikkim on 27 April as a “landmark verdict” against, what he calls, the increasing political pressure being exercised on the contract process in the State.

He informs that he was stopped from submitting his bid to the office of the Additional Chief Engineer, B&H Department, on 25 April, the last day to do so. The work for which bids had been invited was the construction of the official building of the Sikkim State Legal Service Authority to be constructed in Development Area.
When the youth barred Mr. Lama from submitting his bid, he filed an FIR at the Sadar Thana, but by the time the police personnel arrived at the spot, the last hour fixed to accept bids had passed and his bid not taken in.
The next day, Mr. Lama petitioned the High Court of Sikkim and the Court issued a stay order on the tender process the same day, and passing an order on 27 April, directed the Department allow Mr. Lama to submit his bid.
Mr. Lama endorses that this judgment will go a long way towards ensuring that contractors in Sikkim receive fairer dealing in the days to come.