Bashir Hussain Azad
Chitral, June 21, 2026: The Government Contractors Association Chitral has urged the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to take immediate notice of alleged irregularities in development project tenders conducted through the EPADS and e-tendering system.
It claimed that the digital platform introduced for transparency had instead become a source of corruption and favoritism.
Addressing a press conference at Chitral Press Club, association President Qazi Faisal, Sarfarazuddin, Javed Akhtar, Asraruddin, Subhanuddin, Nasir Ahmed, and others expressed serious concerns over alleged irregularities in the Communications and Works (C&W) Department and the Irrigation Department.
The contractors alleged that certain officials in the IT sections of the Irrigation and C&W departments, in collusion with selected contractors, were leaking confidential bid rates in exchange for bribes, allowing specific firms to gain undue advantage in the bidding process.
They claimed that in recent tenders of the Irrigation Department Chitral, a particular firm, “Ittefaq Construction,” secured contracts for four different schemes.
According to the association, the firm allegedly won bids by offering rates with a difference of just one paisa (Rs 0.01) compared to competitors, which they described as highly unusual without prior insider information.
The contractors further alleged that the EPADS portal is deliberately blocked at critical moments during tender submission deadlines, creating obstacles for some bidders while facilitating others, thereby undermining fair competition and transparency.
They also raised objections to the single-stage two-envelope and two-stage bidding systems, arguing that these procedures provide opportunities for officials to favor selected contractors.
The association demanded that the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and other relevant authorities initiate a transparent inquiry into the matter. They also called for action against allegedly involved IT staff, cancellation of all tenders held on June 18 by the Irrigation Department in Chitral, and re-tendering of all schemes under a fully transparent process.
The contractors warned that continued lack of transparency in the system would further erode trust among the contracting community and the public.