Piyanart Srivalo,
Prapasri Osathanon
The Nation
BANGKOK: - Countering allegations that a Bt350-billion flood and water-management project and its ongoing bidding process lacked transparency, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday she welcomed outside inspection of the plans, adding that the e-auction process had been open to all bidders and terms of reference (TOR) details had been made public.
She repeated a key principle of the government's policy - that foreign companies with expertise in the field were needed for long-term implementation of projects, along with consultancy and policy-making input in the future.
"Spending money [on such companies] will be useful for long-term implementation and integration under overall flood and water management," she said.
The overall management would include linkage of 25 river basins and subsequent construction of relevant infrastructure, including floodways and catchment areas, under the royally advised frameworks and key guidelines designated by a government policy committee, Yingluck said. The bidding process had been inspected by relevant agencies and the winners would be verified according to the regulations, she added.
Science Minister Plodprasob Surassawadee, responding to allegations made by Opposition Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, said the TOR tender had been widely available and that he was ready to deliver it to Abhisit once he asked for a copy. He accused Abhisit of unfairness in saying that the minister had attempted to hide something in the bidding process, and in Abhisit's call for the government to make public everything relating to the bidding and TOR conditions.
At a makeshift reception desk set up at Government House, bidders from many foreign countries have registered for TOR documents. Members of the press, upon learning from Plodprasob that TOR documents were being made available, received sets in both Thai and English-language versions marked "Press Only".
Updating the progress of the projects, Plodprasob said additional flood-prevention plans had been submitted by the Bangkok city administration, a progress report had been made by the Transport Ministry on the construction of floodwalls, and an anti-flood scenario and simulation conducted by the government committee.
Democrat Party leader Abhisit, speaking during a tour to inspect projects in Pathum Thani yesterday, called on the government to be transparent about the colossal and expensive project at every step. If the government did not handle flood-prevention efforts correctly, there could be massive flooding this year, he said.
"I am worried about all the work not being completed in time, because if the projects are not processed or approved lawfully, they will be under public scrutiny and investigation by relevant agencies, which would lead to disputes and lawsuits at various courts," he said. "The government is playing up large-scale projects, at a cost of more than Bt300 billion, with taxpayers knowing little about them," Abhisit said.
-- The Nation 2012-07-13
