Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, June 1
Bathroom and sanitaryware fitting dealers are supplying ambulances in Bihar. Literally, as they supplied Maruti vehicles modified into ambulances during the peak of COVID-19 last year in Siwan district.
The Maruti modified ambulances were lying idle as there was no driver available for the last year, according to the district administration. For the convenience of the drivers, a partition between driver’s seat and the cabin was prepared for Rs 1.24 lakhs, though it is inbuilt. It may surprise, these ambulances have ventilators for Rs 3.42 lakhs each.
The ambulances were purchased on the recommendations of three legislators of the ruling NDA. The purchase scam was exposed by a senior NDA leader of the district too in a letter to the Chief Minister.
Following last month’s ambulance scam in Saran district, constituency of the national spokesman of BJP, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, another ambulance purchase scam surfaced in neighbouring Siwan district, home of the health minister, Mangal Pandey,140 kms from the state capital. Recommended by three ruling party legislators, 21 ambulances were purchased under the Chief Minister’s area development fund.
Following complaints from a former minister and senior JDU leader, Bikram Kunwar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today ordered an inquiry into the irregularities in purchase of ambulances by the district administration. Siwan DM Amit Kumar Pandey constituted a three members inquiry committee to investigate into the scam and submit a report within a week.
Seven ambulances that were available for Rs 7 lakhs each in the market were purchased for Rs 21.84 lakhs each from a private company, Indrashan Trading company of Siwan. The company reportedly deals in “a wide range of bathroom fittings, wash basins, sink,sanitary ware and showers.”
However, the district administration purchased ambulances from the bath room fittings company, according to the documents submitted to the Chief Minister by Kunwar.
All Maruti vehicles converted into air-conditioned ambulances are lying idle in the Government Ayurvedic College hospital grounds at Siwan and Hasanpur primary health centres. On Tuesday, district civil surgeon claimed the ambulances were lying useless as drivers were not available.Saran ambulances were lying idle in the premises of a skill development centre at Amnour.
These ambulances were purchased on the recommendations of Ramesh Kumar Kuswaha, Vyasdev Prasad and Tunna Ji Pandey, all ruling NDA legislators under the CM area development fund on pattern of the MP local area development fund., Names and photographs of the elected leaders are displayed on the ambulances.
The three members official purchase committee of Siwan consisting of the civil surgeon,deputy development commissioner and district programme officer violated the instructions of the chief minister
by making purchases without inviting tenders through the Government E-market (GEM) portal. Manish Kumar Verma, Secretary to Chief Minister had given direction to the DMs to make purchases of ambulances through GEM portal only.
Without inviting tenders, orders were issued to the private company of Siwan town engaged in bath room fittings supply only.
Supplier is alleged to have charged three times more than the normal market rate of the vehicle converted into ambulances. Modification charges were too heavy. For Monitor multi parameter, it charged Rs 1.18 lakhs against Rs 30,000, for single pump, it took Rs 69,440 against market price of Rs 20,000, suction machine portable cost Rs 33,600 against Rs 8500, portable ventilator cost Rs 3.41 lakh against Rs 60,000. But no ventilator was seen on the modified vehicles.
Though a divider between the driver seat and the patient’s cabin is inbuilt, the supplier still charged Rs 1.24 lakhs. Insurance and RTO charges were shown doubled in the Bill
The ambulances were purchased last year during the peak of Corona cases when thousands of migrants had returned to their villages in Siwan district.
