Parking fee collection: High court gives DHQ management 14-days to explain contract

Petitioner claims contract was given to a firm that offered a lower bid

RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi-bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) Thursday issued notices to the chairman of the management board for allied hospitals and the medical superintendent of District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) in a petition filed against the grant of a parking contract in violation of rules and regulations.

LHC Rawalpindi bench Justice Muhammad Amir Bhatti issued notices to health officials asking them submit replies in court within two weeks.

Haji Daud and Company through Advocate Asad Abbasi moved the court to challenge the award of the parking contract to a company which had offered a lower bid in the auction.

The petitioner said that his bid for the parking lot in DHQ for the 2016-17 was worth Rs6.1 million. The authorities, he claimed, had awarded the contract to Noman Waheed and Company, which offered a bid of Rs4.7 million.

The petitioner said that DHQ authorities had advertised in local newspapers asking for tenders for the collection of parking fees at the hospital.

The authorities collected bids on August 20 and shortlisted seven offers out of a total of 27 bidders.

The petitioner said that his company was among those shortlisted.

However, he was not awarded a contract, despite being the highest bidder. He said that the award of the contract to the lowest bidder was against the rules and that such a contract would cause a loss of millions of rupees to the public hospital.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2016.