Notices Issued to Officials Over Irregularities in Company Selection for Publicity
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Shimla: An investigation into the publicity-related company selection process within the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Department has revealed irregularities. The examination conducted by IAS officer Pankaj Ray highlighted discrepancies throughout the entire procedure. Subsequently, the government issued notices to the chairman of the implementation committee, former Director of Tourism Amit Kashyap, and committee members, including the former Director of Information and Public Relations (IPR), the Secretary of Tourism, and the Joint Director of Tourism. The scrutiny committee members were also notified, including the Director of Tourism, Publicity Officer, and Assistant Controller (FA), to provide reasons within 10 days, failing which action under the Central Civil Services (CCS) Rules, 1965, will be taken against the officials.
The investigation found manipulations during the Expression of Interest (EOI) phase, where certain companies were shortlisted. The probe report acknowledged procedural flaws in the selection process. Pankaj Ray, in his investigation, recommended the need to overhaul the entire system for implementing publicity. It is worth noting that the state government had halted a tender worth 40 crores for selecting advertising agencies for the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Department in October. Concerns over significant irregularities prompted the government to pause the tender, and IAS officer Pankaj Ray was assigned to investigate. The EOI process for awarding a three-year contract for approximately 40 crores for advertisements related to the Tourism Department had commenced during the previous BJP tenure.
