A letter penned by deputy regional transport officer (RTO) of Satara, Sandeep Khadase, has alleged corruption in the procurement of radar systems for interceptor vehicles.
The letter, addressed to the Maharashtra Transport Minister on February 20, and widely circulated on social media on Tuesday, accuses transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar and joint transport commissioner Bharat Kalskar of favoritism and financial misconduct in the tendering process.
When contacted, Bhimanwar and Kalskar denied the accusations. Speaking to The Free Press Journal (FPJ), Bhimanwar stated that he had not received any official complaint regarding the matter. Kalskar also dismissed the allegations, calling them baseless, and mentioned that he had already clarified the issue.
However, Khadase’s letter claims that the duo bypassed government procurement norms to award a Rs22.79 crore contract for vehicle top-mounted radar devices to a company despite its lack of prior experience in the field.
“Instead of following the mandatory Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, the officials allegedly opted for an e-tendering process to favour a specific business group, violating transparency guidelines,” stated the letter.
The radar devices in question are crucial for detecting speeding violations, lane-cutting, helmet-less riding, and seatbelt non-usage using advanced photographic evidence. The procurement, meant for 69 interceptor vehicles, was sanctioned under strict financial guidelines. However, Khadase alleges that the tender was awarded just a day before the Model Code of Conduct for the state assembly polls 2024 came into effect, raising suspicions of a rushed deal to avoid scrutiny.
“Several experienced vendors on the GeM portal could have provided better technology at one-third of the cost, but they were ignored,” further stated the letter.
The allegations have sparked demands for an independent investigation into the procurement process. Experts argue that if the claims are substantiated, they could expose large-scale financial misconduct within the state transport department. The Central government’s GeM portal was specifically designed to prevent favoritism and monopolistic practices, but its alleged bypassing in this case raises serious transparency concerns.
