The company had surfaced after the opening of the tenders, complaining that they were not allowed to bid and further alleging that they could provide the enlisted material at a low cost given a chance.

While fresh tenders have been invited following the alleged irregularities in the rates of containers to be placed in the city, Patiala Mayor Ajit Pal Singh Kohli has ordered an inquiry into the matter.

Following quotations that were more than Rs 7 lakh than the actual market rates, the Patiala Mayor has ordered cancellation of tenders for more than 100 fabricated openable containers. Executive engineer Gurcharan Singh, in a letter dated January 21, had asked that a quotation sent by a firm that never took part in the actual tenders be considered.

In January, the MC had invited tenders for buying 100 openable containers for the city. The approximate worth of each container was more than Rs 60,000 and three companies had vied for the tenders. M/S Quality Hydraulics Pvt Limited Ghaziabad had agreed to dispatch the material for Rs 65,11,500, while other firms had quoted more than Rs 72 lakh.

“However, when the tenders were opened, the rates quoted by all the three companies were found on the higher side and thus the firms were called for deliberations. But no firm agreed to lower the rates,” sources told Newsline. “The executive engineer had asked the F&CC to issue work order to this Ghaziabad firm, despite the fact that the firm had actually not taken part in the tender bid,” they added.