RAIPUR: Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) leader of opposition Suryakant Rathore has demanded a probe into the alleged irregularities in tendering process for procurement of 20 e-rickshaws by the civic body.Rathore said that the e-rickshaw, which is being sold by Ahmedabad-based manufacturing company at the cost of Rs 97,000, is being purchased at the cost of around Rs 2.5 lakh by the corporation's tender committee. He took a dig at Mayor Pramod Dubey and workshop officer BL Chandrakar saying that the deal lacked transparency.Rathore said that earlier state urban administration and development department had granted permission to the civic body for procurement of Tipper auto, Tata Ace Tipper vehicles on October 10, 2016. But, instead RMC decided to procure e-rickshaws.Ignoring administration's directives, the RMC's e-rickshaw's tendering committee breached the rule and released tenders on December 3. He pointed out that three companies quoted their bid for an amount ranging from Rs 2.45 lakh to Rs 2.59 lakh.RMC authorities awarded the contract work order to Sarathi Rickshaw Kutchery Chowk despite the bidding rate at Rs 14,000 in excess from the lowest bidder Rajesh Steel and Wires Limited Bhanpuri.Rathore alleged that the original price of e-rickshaw is about Rs 97,315, which is much less than the rates quoted by the contract winning firms.However, workshop officer BL Chandrakar claimed that "The tender approved to Sarathi Rickshaw involves warranty and maintenance costs besides the preventive maintenance and breakdown costs, which will help to keep the e-rickshaws in good working condition. The company will incur the maintenance cost of e-richshaw, which is around Rs 40,000 annually. The manufacturing company provides the e-rickshaw without the battery hence the vendor spends extra on installing and changing the batteries. I've the copy of the bill and I am ready for investigation in the case."RMC commissioner Rajat Bansal told to TOI that a two-member committee comprising additional commissioner and superintendent engineer has been set up to investigate the matter.

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