MLA of 45-Chingai Assembly Constituency, Khashim Vashum has sought the immediate intervention of Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Union Minister, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India over the repeated and unexplained postponement of tender for “One Time Improvement of Existing Ukhrul Road from Km 0+00 (Near Dungrei Junction) to Km 9+000 (Near Toloi Junction), Section of NH-102A, by Thin White Topping (TWT)”.
MLA Khashim Vashum in his letter addressed to Nitin Gadkari has raised serious concern on the repeated postponement of the tender. Khashim Vashum stated that “the said project is of immense importance to the people of Ukhrul District, particularly in view of the poor condition of the existing road and the difficulties being faced by the public. The people of Ukhrul have already endured severe hardship due to the prevailing conditions in the State, and the continued deterioration of this important road has further compounded their difficulties.”
According to MLA Khashim Vashum, the tender was originally scheduled for submission on 23rd September 2026 at 3:00 PM and a technical bid opening on 24th September 2026 at 3:30 PM. On 22nd September 2026, just one day before the scheduled tender date, Rafique Ahmed Choudhary, Deputy General Manager, NHIDCL, RO-Imphal, issued a corrigendum, published on the eProcurement portal at 4:50 PM on 22nd September 2026, postponing bid submission to 30th September 2026 at 3:00 PM and technical bid opening to 1st October 2026 at 3:30 PM. He further stated that no clear reason or substantive justification for this postponement was communicated to the prospective bidders. Again on 30th September 2026, prospective bidders participated in the tender process and submitted their bids through the prescribed electronic procurement system. The bid submission process was successfully completed and closed at 3:00 PM, as stipulated in the RFP/NIT.
However, after the prescribed bid submission deadline had already expired and the bidding process had been successfully closed, another corrigendum was published on the eProcurement portal on 30th September 2026 at 4:21 PM, postponing bid submission further to 21st October 2026 at 3:00 PM and technical bid opening to 22nd October 2026 at 3:30 PM.
“This second postponement, particularly after the bid submission period had already closed at the stipulated time, raises serious questions regarding the procedural validity and transparency of the tender process” stated MLA Khashim Vashum in his letter to Nitin Gadkari. The most concerning aspect of the matter is that the second postponement was made after prospective bidders had already submitted their bids and the tender had formally closed at 3:00 PM on 30th September 2026. It is difficult to understand how a tender can be retrospectively postponed after the bid submission deadline has elapsed and bids have already been received in accordance with the NIT and RFP.
MLA Khashim Vashum further continued “if there was genuine technical, administrative, legal, or other compelling reason requiring postponement, the same may kindly be disclosed and placed on record. However, repeated postponement without a clearly stated reason, particularly after closure of the bid submission period, creates considerable uncertainty among participating bidders and raises legitimate concerns regarding the fairness, transparency and integrity of the procurement process.
The prospective bidders who participated in the tender on 30th September 2026 had acted on the basis of the NIT, RFP and the officially notified bid submission schedule. Once the prescribed deadline had passed and bids had been submitted, any subsequent alteration of the tender schedule deserves careful examination by the competent authority.
The 9-km stretch from Dungrei Junction to Toloi Junction on NH-102A is an important road link for the people of Ukhrul and surrounding areas. The existing road condition has caused considerable hardship to commuters, transport operators, students, patients, businesses and the general public. Furthermore, Ukhrul District experiences substantial rainfall during the period from approximately April to September every year. Consequently, any unnecessary delay in tender finalization and commencement of work can have a direct impact on the construction schedule and may result in further deterioration of the road before meaningful improvement work can commence.
Repeated postponement at this stage risks pushing the actual execution of the work further into an unfavourable construction period, thereby defeating the very purpose of undertaking the improvement during the financial year 2026-27.
MLA Khashim Vashum has urged the Office of the Union Minister to kindly:
1. Take cognizance of the repeated postponement of the tender for the above-mentioned 9-km NH-102A road improvement project.
2. Order an appropriate examination/inquiry into the reasons and circumstances under which the tender was first postponed from 23rd September 2026 at 3:00 PM to 30th September 2026 at 3:00 PM for bid submission and subsequently postponed again to 21st October 2026 at 3:00 PM, with technical bid opening rescheduled to 22nd October 2026 at 3:30 PM.
3. Specifically examine the circumstances under which the second corrigendum was issued after the bid submission deadline of 3:00 PM on 30th September 2026 had already expired and the bids had been successfully submitted and the tender closed..
4. Examine whether the issuance of such a corrigendum after closure of bid submission was consistent with the applicable provisions of the NIT, RFP, procurement conditions and applicable NHIDCL/MORTH tender procedures.
5. Direct that the bids submitted by the eligible prospective bidders on 30th September 2026 be preserved and processed in accordance with the applicable tender conditions, subject to the findings of the competent authority and applicable procurement rules.
6. Direct the concerned authority to open and evaluate the technical bids and, thereafter, the financial bids of the technically qualified bidders, strictly in accordance with the NIT/RFP and applicable procurement procedures.
7. Ensure that the tender process is completed without any further unnecessary delay or postponement, so that the work can be awarded to the successful/L-1 bidder in accordance with the applicable rules and conditions.
8. Kindly ensure that the project is taken up on an urgent basis, keeping in view the deteriorated condition of the road and the climatic conditions of Ukhrul District.
According to MLA Khashim Vashum, the people of Ukhrul have been waiting for improvement of this vital road and are deeply concerned about the repeated postponement of a project that is urgently required. “Our request is simply that the tender process be conducted in a fair, transparent, time-bound and rule-compliant manner, and that a project of such importance to the people of Ukhrul should not be unnecessarily delayed” stated the letter of MLA Khashim Vashum.
