Allegations of Irregularities in Baliyatra Tender

Cuttack: Allegations of irregularities have surfaced regarding the recent tender for the globally renowned Cuttack Baliyatra. The initial complaint was lodged by the Prelude Event Agency, which has also brought the matter to the attention of the Odisha Revenue Minister. As per the report, seven companies submitted bids for this year’s Baliyatra management, with three agencies from Odisha and four from Delhi. However, one agency later withdrew, leaving six bids for consideration.

The bidding companies included Dipali Design with a bid of ₹10,99,09,510, Sharad Advertising at ₹8,15,69,115, Collective at ₹5,66,13,050, Celebration Live at ₹4,11,37,000, and Prelude at ₹3,51,00,569. Based on the lowest bid, Prelude was initially positioned to manage the Baliyatra. However, technical evaluation scores were not disclosed, and in a surprising move, the contract was awarded to Celebration Live.

Allegations have been made that the decision was altered 15 minutes after declaring Prelude as the lowest bidder (L1). Given the ₹60 lakh difference between L1 and L2, questions have been raised about the rationale behind awarding the contract to an agency that quoted a higher amount.

Kshetramohan Nanda, the director of Prelude, has filed a formal complaint with the Revenue Minister, District Collector, District Development Officer, and District Culture Officer, questioning the transparency of the tender process and calling for an investigation. In response, a district administration official stated, “The tender process was conducted with complete transparency, and there have been no lapses or deviations.”