Political activist Srisuwan Janya filed a complaint with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) yesterday against executives of the Department of Groundwater Resources over alleged irregularities in the bidding for well-drilling projects.
Mr Srisuwan, secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Constitution, cited the reason for his complaint as being the department’s illegal cancellation of 10 well-drilling projects, seven of which are under a royal initiative project. The total cost of the projects amounts to 497 million baht.
He told the NACC the department ordered e-bidding in October, but the projects were subsequently cancelled by its new chief despite them being urgently needed to reduce people’s suffering as a result of water shortages.
He questioned whether the cancellations unfairly benefited certain groups, adding the order to axe them violated the procurement law.
Mr Srisuwan is no stranger to controversy. He was recently attacked by an anti-government figure while giving an interview to the media. The attacker took umbrage with Mr Srisuwan’s decision to file a complaint against comedian Udom “Nose” Taepanich for criticising the government’s poor economic performance.
Meanwhile, the department defended the transparency of its bidding process and described Mr Srisuwan’s complaint as groundless given the projects have merely been suspended, not cancelled.
Thanya Nethithammakul, the department’s chief, said he was surprised by the complaint given the transparency and credibility with which the agency has handled the projects, and the respect it has for royal-initiative projects that serve the public interest.
He said the projects were suspended as amendments were required to the terms of reference. Moreover, an evaluation of soil conditions was needed due to significant inundation. The department has received 72 complaints about supposed irregularities in the bidding process, he added.
“I’ve set up a committee to investigate these complaints within seven days. As soon as we get the results, we’ll reopen the bidding. I don’t know where [Srisuwan] got his information from but it’s not true,” Mr Thanya said.