Contractor breaches bank guarantee agreement in sand mining contract

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A contractor in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has allegedly misused a bank guarantee agreement worth Rs 11.82 lakh issued for a sand mining contract. Activist Manoj Sarin, through RTI inquiries, discovered that the contractor, Sakshi suppliers, withdrew the guaranteed amount without obtaining permission from the district minor minerals department.

As per the agreement, the bank guarantee (MGB 5116/BG No 94,2021-22) was meant to ensure completion of the sand mining work and could only be withdrawn with the collector's approval and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the minor minerals department.

However, the contractor reportedly bypassed these protocols and directly retrieved the funds from the bank. The bank branch manager confirmed the withdrawal but remained unclear about whether proper NOC procedures were followed.

Sarin has filed a written complaint with the additional collector, Arvind Lokhande, demanding an investigation. While minor mineral officer Kishore Ghodke promised to address the matter later, the additional collector remained unavailable for comment.