SHILLONG, MAY 19: Dismissing allegations that the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department awarded Rs 1,900-crore projects to an outside firm by bypassing norms, Cabinet Minister and MDA government spokesperson Wailadmiki Shylla on Tuesday said all tenders followed established rules and were open to eligible bidders.

Responding to charges that the department favoured a non-local firm, Shylla said the tendering process requires bidders to meet specific credentials and experience.

“As you all know, for any tendering process, for any allotment, there are certain sets of criteria or credentials. You have to have certain credentials and experience and other things,” he told reporters.

He maintained that the government adhered to procedure in all infrastructure projects.

“If you see in all of this infrastructure, the government has followed the process. In this process, all the required criteria were fulfilled,” Shylla said.

“It is not like we choose whomever we like. There are certain sets of rules, a certain process we follow,” he added.

Shylla said the bidding was open to all qualified firms.

“If that person is getting the work, what can I say, because we have followed the rules and process. It is open for everyone, whoever wants to come and participate,” he said.

“It does not mean that we have created such rules that only that person can come and participate,” he clarified.