3 VMC fire dept officials suspended over overpriced equipment procurement

Time of India

05-08-2025

Vadodara: A pocket knife, gas lighter, mosquito net and water bottle all cost the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) fire and emergency services department Rs 3,639.71 apiece.
Not only were the prices obscenely high, but identical prices for incomparable items also went through the system unnoticed as nobody was checking.
This alleged procurement scam has led to the suspension of three officials, including chief fire officer Manoj Patil, deputy chief fire officer Naitik Bhatt and the then head of the fire department, Dr Devesh Patel, who is also the medical officer (health). The purchase was made by the fire brigade for expansion of services to newer areas and to deal with the floods.
Bids were invited using the govt e-marketplace (GeM) portal.
A third-party inspection (TPI) agency and the VMC auditing department were also involved, as was the standing committee. Yet, items worth Rs 3.17 crore were purchased with some items at hugely inflated prices.
The fire department had raised the requirement for the tools, after which tenders were invited between Feb 27 and March 10. The tender scrutiny committee met to discuss the tenders on March 20, and a formal proposal was prepared for the standing committee.
The standing committee cleared the proposal but reduced the number of inflatable boats and engines to eight each instead of the 16 demanded, along with other required equipment and accessories. As some other equipment was to be procured per boat, quantities should have been halved, but these were kept according to the original requirement of 16 boats, and a clarification in this regard was also put on record.
It was these pieces of equipment and accessories that were priced obscenely high.
Apart from 16 pocket knives, as well as an equal number of gas lighters and other items, the list included 16 emergency whistles that were priced at Rs 3,238.73 each, 16 rucksacks at Rs 10,919 apiece and some other items whose prices raise eyebrows. The total procurement amounted to Rs 3,17,67,149.
VMC standing committee chairman Sheetal Mistry said the committee usually does not go into minute details of pricing of items as these are looked at by the administrative wing.
"This was a procurement for disaster management and was done through the portal. Tender procedures were also followed. One must understand that we are not experts on such equipment," he said.
Sources said the TPI agency only checks the specifications of the equipment and if the quality is up to the mark. The audit department only went through the bills and ensured that procedures were followed, the documentation was in order and the goods procured were in line with the quantity in the bill.
The department was not supposed to investigate pricing. This led to the high prices not being red flagged.
VMC commissioner Arun Mahesh Babu said the civic body was looking to streamline its procurement process after this incident and issue new advisories. On the extent of inflation in the prices, he said that this would become clear after a departmental inquiry. He, however, said that prices of some items were highly inflated.