Hole widens in poor quality school uniform issue

SHIMLA: In another twist to the poor quality school uniform issue, Himachal Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation, during an internal inquiry, has found that the supplier sent clothes from Maharashtra instead of Rajasthan violating the conditions of tender documents.
HPSCSC has now suggested a detailed investigation to substantiate facts.
Supply of poor quality of school uniforms to students of government schools from Class I to X under Mahatma Gandhi Uniform Scheme had rocked state politics with opposition BJP pouncing on the issue to attack the government.Now voices of dissent have started emerging from within the ruling Congress.
Even chief minister Virbhadra Singh and food and civil supplies minister GS Bali are at daggers drawn over registering an FIR on the issue.
Sources said an RTI activist from Bhilwara in Rajasthan made a written complaint to Virbhadra Singh alleging that while the tender was submitted by one firm, supply was made by another firm. Following this, Himachal Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation was directed to hold an internal inquiry to look into the matter.
Now the inquiry had found that allegation in the complaint to be true. Report said uniforms got transported to indenting officers of the education department through transporter Shree Carriers, Chandan Building, Vikram Nagar, Ichalkarnaji, Kolhapur district, Maharashtra.
For the verification of facts, copy of the two invoices/bill issued by the supplier, laboratory report, and GR from the transporter received through the indenting officer of the education department, two copies of the dispatch report of cloth from mill submitted by the joint team of education department and corporation were also enclosed.
The report said from the perusal of office order dated November 30, 2013 issued by education department and facts obtained from Rachpal Singh Kaundal, retired assistant area manager of the corporation, it came to notice that company RSWM Limited seemingly dispatched their material from Ichalkarnaji in Kolhapur Maharashta and not from Banswara which lends credence to the complaint.
The report said that as per the tender documents, RSWM Limited, Noida was composite mill supplier located at Mordi Lodha, Banswara district; Kharigram; Gulabpura; Mandpam, Bhilwara district; Rishabdev, Udaipur district; Ringas, Sikar district in Rajasthan and had to supply clothes from these locations.
"Rajinder Sharma, statistician of education department was deputed to RSWM Limited Kolhapur, Maharshtra, for dispatch of uniforms which should not have been the case since supply was to take place from Banswara," it added.
It further said that Rachpal Singh Kaundal, retired assistant area manager of this corporation, who was also sent by HPSCSC Limited to RSWM Limited for supervision while dispatching uniforms has claimed in his TA bill that he was in Ichalkarnaji in Kolhapur for dispatch of school uniforms whereas if the cloth was dispatched from Banswara (Rajasthan) as claimed by the supplier then he had no reason to be in Ichalkarnaji unless the cloth was being clandestinely sent from there.
During the budget session BJP MLA and former education minister ID Dhiman had raised the issue of poor quality of uniforms in the assembly and had pointed out that the school uniforms in government schools were distributed before the sample report had come. He had also demanded that government must clarify why the uniforms were given to children before the report had come and why action should not be taken against those responsible for it.
Later Virbhadra Singh ordered to register an FIR in the case, but till date no action has been taken as civil supply corporation and education department are throwing the ball in each other's court to lodge the complaint with police.