Imphal, December 22: Reflecting the ground reality and the current situation in the State, Health Minister L Nandakumar today informed the House that inviting open tenders for supply of items to the Health Department is virtually not feasible.

Responding to a call attention motion raised by O Joy, the Minister said that the present situation is such that it is not practical to issue open tenders for any supply order.

The Minister gave this reply when O Joy supporting a motion raised by Salam Ibohal cited the controversy surrounding the supply of medical and non medicine items to the Health Department by a Delhi based firm, RS Company.

Joy said that the firm did not deliver all the goods ordered and there was no open tender issued and added that the amount awarded to the company exceeded the total value of the goods supplied.

On the charges raised by the Opposition MLA, Nandakumar explained that RS Company is a firm approved by the Purchase Advisory Board and added that the Govt also approved the price list submitted by RS Company.

The supply order was given to RS Company as well as other companies of Manipur without open tenders, said the Minister and defended his officials stating that there were no discrepancies in the case.

"Ever since I took over as Health and Family Welfare Minister a number of organisations have taken the supply order and without delivering the goods have been exerting immense pressure to release the money for the supply," said the Minister bluntly.

To put a stop to such practice, the Health Director was instructed to insert advertisements in the State dailies as well as ISTV to the effect that the supply orders taken earlier will be cancelled if the goods are not delivered within a week's time, said Nandakumar.

It was precisely because of the tough stance adopted by the Health Department, that the residence of the Health Director was fired upon by some unidentified gunmen days back, recalled the Minister.

Nandakumar further said that RS Company was given the supply order for a number of items for the Prime Minister's visit as well as for the Indo-ASEAN car rally by flight.

A number of organisations had also exerted pressure on the Department to award them the snpply order issued to RS Company, said the Health Minister.

"However as the supply was crucial, I myself took the responsibility of over looking the pressure and issued the supply to RS Company," said Nandakumar.

O Joy and Salam Ibohal however said that RS Company had submitted bills for items which were never delivered and they had even moved the Court to make the State pay their dues along with interest.

This signifies that something is fishy, they observed.

Moreover the company had refused t6 depute any of their representatives to physically check the goods delivered here.

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