Article Posted on : - Jun 03, 2014

NEW DELHI (PTI): Procedures are being developed to deal with procurement cases which are put on hold on the basis of complaints filed by the losing vendors, Navy Vice Chief Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba has suggested.

"The new Defence Minister has already issued a statement on this issue. This issue would be tackled and dealt with.

Procedures are being worked out on this issue," he told reporters on Monday.

Lanba, who as Vice Chief will be in-charge of procurement of new weapon systems, was asked how the force was planning to tackle the issue of procurement cases which have been put on hold on charges of corruption levelled by the losing vendors.

A number of naval procurements such as the acquisition of 16 multirole helicopters and torpedoes for the under-construction Scorpene submarines are stuck due to corruption allegations.

A number of Navy procurements, where the Anglo-Italian AgustaWestland or its sister concerns could have been potential vendors, have been put on hold leading to delays in supply of equipment to the maritime force.

Recently, the new Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh had stated that a number of procurement cases get stuck after the losing vendors file anonymous complaints and deals are put on hold.

He had also stated that the Government will take steps to deal with such issues to avoid delays in providing equipment to the forces.

Soon after taking over as the Vice Chief, Lanba said the force would like Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the largest warship of the country-- aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, which has been stationed at Karwar in Karnataka.