Andhra govt. passes Judicial Preview Bill, will set up mechanism to scrutinize all biddings

The Andhra Pradesh Infrastructure (Transparency through Judicial Preview) Bill 2019 was passed by a thumping voice vote on Friday.

The Andhra Pradesh government has stated that it will set up a mechanism for Judicial Preview to scrutinize all biddings for projects that are above Rs 100 crore and bring in transparency into big-ticket deals.

Intervening during the discussion on the Bill, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy attacked the past government and said that this is a beginning for the transparency in governance and it will erase the image of corruption, the state has acquired by the misdeeds of the previous government.

Elaborating on the bill Chief Minister Reddy said, "After this bill, now any work that is more than Rs 100 crore, even if it is split into fractions will first be sent for a Preview which will be done by a Judge, referred to by the High Court. The Judge would place the tender or work on public domain for one week and will seek the opinion of the people. The judge will then scrutinize the tender papers and then give his final decision in eight days, during which time he will be provided with the required technical assistance and logistics which he asks for."

Earlier, initiating the Bill, the Minister for Industries and Commerce, Mekapati Gowtham Reddy said, the Bill enables to bring in transparency by putting big-ticket infrastructure works above Rs 100 crore (which may be segregated or divided, separated) under public and judicial scrutiny and taking the suggestions before finalizing the contract.

Finance Minister Buggana Rajendernath also stated that the Bill was necessary as the previous government has institutionalized corruption, mostly in the capital area region by adopting arbitrary methods in the bidding process and allotting a select few companies the works with terms heavily loaded in the foreign companies' favour.

According to the Bill, all related documents of the tenders will be placed in the public domain for one week inviting suggestions. After receiving suggestions from the public, the tender documents shall be reviewed by a Judge and suggestions thereon may be incorporated by him which will be final.

The Bill has identified 25 sectors including Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) that could be considered by the Judicial Preview. The aim of the Bill is to create equal opportunity, cost and quality consciousness while developing infrastructure projects.

The State aims at bringing in fast-track infrastructure and at the same time is committed to set up a mechanism that could monitor the infrastructure projects under the preview of Judge appointed by the High Court. The state will provide the needed logistics for the judicial body to carry out the preview.