Amid 3rd wave, former Punjab minister OP Soni gave nod to buy sanitisers at 'inflated' rates
Vishav Bharti
Chandigarh, June 13
Amid third Covid wave, state’s then Minister for Health and Family Welfare Om Parkash Soni had himself given a go-ahead on a file to the Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC) to procure hand sanitisers at ‘inflated rates’.
Soni had been expressing ignorance on the matter from the beginning, but the fresh documents available with The Tribune junked his claims and found that the former minister can’t wash his hands of the scam.
In an exclusive story that appeared in these columns on March 23 this year, The Tribune had highlighted that the PHSC purchased over 1.8 lakh bottles (500 ml each) of alcohol-based hand sanitisers on January 5 for the Election Commission for just Rs 54.54 (excluding GST). And for hospital supply, the PHSC purchased 1.55 lakh bottles (500 ml each) of the same sanitiser at Rs 160 (excluding GST). Thus, the Health Department spent around three times more than the rates at which it had purchased the same product for the EC.
Also, the purchase for the EC was made through an open tender. However, the PHSC made purchase for its own consumption through a rate contract signed by the Punjab’s Controller of Stores, which works under the Department of Industries and Commerce.
Talking to The Tribune, Soni had claimed that the matter pertained to the PHSC, so he was not aware of any such purchase.
However, the new documents related to the purchase established that Soni was not only fully aware of the matter, but he himself had given a nod to the PHSC in writing to go-ahead with the buying. As per the file of the purchase, the copy of which is with The Tribune, on January 3 this year, Soni gave approval to the PHSC Managing Director to go-ahead with the purchase.
The purchase was made of the Rs 198-crore Covid Emergency Response and Health Systems Package.
HAD NO ROLE IN RATE CONTRACT: EX-MINISTER
The rate contract for hand sanitisers was finalised much before I assumed office as the Health Minister. It was done by the Industries Dept, so I had no role in it. The situation during Covid was such that whatever file related to the purchase was presented to me, I had to clear it promptly. OP Soni, ex-Health minister
