Cattle market fee: Show-cause notice issued to DMC West administrator

He failed to appear before the court with the record of bidding process

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued on Tuesday a show-cause notice to the administrator of the West district municipal corporation (DMC) on a petition challenging the award of contract for collecting entry fees on sacrificial animals arriving in the city.

Headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, the division bench directed the West SSP to serve the show-cause notice on the administrator who failed to show up with the record of the auction process.

A contractor, Mohammad Sarfaraz, had challenged the award of the contract in alleged violation of the procurement laws.



He said the West DMC had established a cattle market at Yousuf Goth in Baldia Town and the contract was awarded to private contractors for collection of fee on the arrival of animals. He alleged that in order to facilitate another contractor, Haji Muhammad Muzzafar, the DMC postponed the auction scheduled for August 24 this year and later awarded the contract in complete disregard of the provisions of the Sindh Public Procurement Act 2009 and Sindh Public Procurement Rules 2010.

Under the laws, it was mandatory to announce the dates of opening bids and awarding contract through advertisements in at least three widely-circulated newspapers, which had not been done in this case, the petitioner stated.

On September 4, the bench had directed the West DMC's administrator to personally appear and submit the record of the auction. But he failed to show up for Tuesday's proceedings.

Taking notice of this conduct, the judges issued a show-cause notice to the administrator to appear on November 18 with a written explanation regarding the non-compliance of the court's directives. Also, the West SSP was directed to serve the show-cause notice on the administrator and submit a compliance report.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2015.