Shillong, Nov 1: A petition challenging the controversial tender floated by the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) will be taken up in the Meghalaya High Court on Friday.

The petition was filed by SA Power Utilities Pvt Ltd challenging the tender process carried out by the MeECL for the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna – Saubhagya for providing universal household electrification in the state.

The petition will be taken up by the the single bench of Justice S.R. Sen.

It was alleged that financial requirements of the tender have been devised to exclude local and small-scale contractors but to favour certain contractors.

Allegedly, the bid document was also favouring two parties from outside the State, Satnam Global Infraprojects Ltd, Delhi and Patel Engineering, Delhi.

Further it was alleged that only eight days were given for casting of the tender. The eight-day deadline includes weekends and Gandhi Jayanti, which means only three to four working days were allotted for bidders to take part in the tender process.

Questions were also being raised as to how such big tenders can be done at such short notice and why the scope of work of existing contractors of DDUGJY and others were not extended.

In the tender qualification criteria, the stakes were too high, and none of the local contractors from Meghalaya qualified.

The tender was called on September 26 and the opening of bids was set for October 4.

The Court had earlier stayed the entire tendering process till the next date of hearing.

The High Court directed the MeECL and the Meghalaya government to file counter affidavits while the MeECL was directed not to proceed with the tender.

Under Saubhagya, the Union Ministry of Power had sanctioned in two parts for Meghalaya. In the first part, Rs 265 crore was sanctioned in August this year, followed by another amount Rs 207 crore was sanctioned in September.

While the financial package under Saubhagya scheme for Khasi and Jaintia Hills is Rs 187 crore, for Garo Hills the financial package is Rs 196 crore.

The Saubhagya scheme is to provide electricity to all households by December 31 this year.

The project is aimed at cent per cent household electrification through construction of an 11 KV line with ACSR weasel conductor, installation of distribution transformers and others.

According to statistics, there are 1,40,315 households yet to be electrified in Meghalaya and the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited is the nodal agency for implementating the scheme.