By IANS,
Shimla : The Himachal Pradesh government has violated financial rules by placing an order with a US-based supplier of fruit trees without inviting global bids, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has said.
“The government has placed an order to import 68,050 plants of different fruit varieties with Van Well Nursery without inviting global bids,” said the CAG in a report that was tabled in the state assembly April 8.
The government sanctioned Rs.5 crore to the horticulture department in 2008 to get imported varieties of apple, cherry, peach, plum and strawberry. These were to be provided to orchard owners at subsidised rates ranging from Rs.150-750 per plant.
Not convinced with the reply of the horticulture department in February-March 2010, the CAG observed that by not floating global bids the government denied the best competitive price for the plants.
It also noted that against the first order of 43,353 plants, the department received 39,100 plants worth Rs.2.11 crore in March 2008 and no further supply was received till March 2010.
“The department, however, took no action to get the supply of the remaining plants,” said the CAG.
According to the report, 2,962 plants perished during post-entry quarantine due to different climatic conditions in India.
“The perishing of trees caused a loss of Rs.16.74 lakh as each plant cost Rs.565.22. The plants were to be received before February 2008 but these were supplied in March when the temperature was considerably high and 2,962 perished,” it said.
The report pointed out that the findings were referred to the government for comments in May 2010, but it did not respond till September last year.
Himachal Pradesh had a record yield of apples last season (2010) with 4.46 crore boxes of 20 kg each.
The previous record yield of 2.6 crore boxes was in 2007. In 2009, it had slipped to 1.4 crore boxes.
Apple is the main fruit crop of the state and is grown in nine out of its 12 districts. It accounts for about 40 percent of the total area under all fruit crop cultivation.
Besides apple, other fruits like pear, peach, cherry, apricot, kiwi, strawberry, olive, almond and plum are the major commercial crops of the state.