The Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) has slammed allegations that its ₹10.02 crore tender for the supply of crusher broken metal to the Wanjra Hot Mix Plant was designed to block small contractors, calling the charges “baseless and misleading.”
The tender (No. 04/2025-26, dated July 25, 2025) attracted three bidders — M/s Abhi Engineering Corporation Pvt. Ltd., M/s M.G. Wadhwani, and M/s Altaf Ahmed. After scrutiny, the bid of M/s Altaf Ahmed was rejected for failing to meet even the minimum qualifying criteria.
NIT officials bluntly pointed out that Altaf Ahmed’s past work of ₹2.01 crore for NIT fell short of the mandatory ₹2.52 crore benchmark. Bigger contracts worth over ₹7 crore executed for Railways were not accepted as “similar work” since the tender clearly defined eligibility as prior supply to Hot Mix Plants. On supply records, the bidder failed again — showing only 3,145 cum of 6mm metal in a 12-month period against the required 3,600 cum. On machinery, the violations were glaring: only seven tippers were declared, six of them overage and one hired, despite the tender mandating eight owned roadworthy vehicles.
Refuting claims of “restrictive norms,” NIT produced a comparative chart of earlier tenders showing that eligibility criteria in past contracts were often tougher. “The requirements are not arbitrary but essential,” the Trust stated.
By tightening checks, NIT argues it is protecting public money, safeguarding asphalt quality, and preventing delays. “This is not an ordinary supply contract — only firms with proven track records can deliver. That is non-negotiable,” the Trust concluded.
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