Mumbai: Highlighting serious irregularities in the Rs 1,400-crore tender for the Dighi Port Industrial Area development project in Raigad awarded by Maharashtra Industrial Township Ltd (MITL), Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant has asked Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to give directions to the state government for a high-level probe.Sawant had also written to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and the Central Vigilance Commission seeking an inquiry.Sawant demanded that the project be stayed till the probe is completed.Last month, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab too had raised similar allegations in the tender process for infrastructure development works under Phase-1 of the project and had written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding a probe by a senior officer. Parab had claimed that Ramky Infrastructure Ltd (RIL) had emerged as the L-1 bidder after quoting rates 12% lower than estimates.Ramky Infrastructure did not respond to a detailed query from TOI.MITL is a Special Purpose Vehicle formed between the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation and the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation. It functions under the Centre’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under Goyal and is responsible for carrying out project development activities and coordinating the implementation of various projects.In May, Parab had alleged: “There are serious discrepancies in the experience certificates submitted by RIL. As per tender conditions, only projects completed within the last 10 years were eligible for consideration. However, the company submitted details of a project from 2010–11. Additionally, documents submitted regarding the nature of the work, project cost, and work orders were incomplete and inadequate.”He had further claimed, “Completion certificates for similar projects submitted by the company were self-certified documents issued by related subsidiaries or affiliated companies. This amounted to deliberate misrepresentation in the tender process.” He had said that in a similar tender floated by Bihar Integrated Manufacturing City Gaya Ltd, where the eligibility conditions were comparable, the company was not declared eligible.Parab had also pointed out that tender-related complaints raised by competing bidders with MITL chairman P Anbalagan and managing director P D Malikner were ignored.Dighi Port is a privately operated all-weather multipurpose sea port located in Raigad. The port handles a wide variety of cargo, including bulk, break-bulk, liquid, containers, and specialised project cargo.
