Shillong, May 19: The stated government has refuted the allegation that the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department violated norms to award Rs 1,900-crore projects to a firm from outside Meghalaya.
Speaking to reporters, cabinet minister and government spokesperson Wailadmiki Shylla asserted that the tender process was transparent and criteria-based.
Every allotment under the department goes through a defined tendering framework.
“For any tendering process, for any allotment, there are certain sets of criteria or credentials. You have to have certain credentials and experience,” he said. He stressed that the selection was not arbitrary.
“The government has followed the process in all of this infrastructure. All the required criteria were fulfilled,” Shylla said.
The minister said the norms were not designed to benefit a single bidder.
“It does not mean we have created rules that only that person can come and participate,” Shylla said.
The clarification comes after opposition parties questioned the award of multiple Jal Jeevan Mission projects worth Rs 1,900 crore to a company based outside the state.
NPP meet on Rajya Sabha nominee
Meanwhile, Shylla, the National People’s Party (NPP) state youth leader, said the party is likely to decide on the candidate for the lone Rajya Sabha seat for Meghalaya.
Responding to a query, the NPP leader said, “I think in the coming week, we will definitely have a meeting. By then it will be clear.”
Shylla was categorical that the nominee would come from within the party. “It will be from NPP,” he said.
