With procurement of Tatra trucks put on hold, the Defence Ministry is facing problems in maintenance of over 7,000 of these vehicles in the armed forces and is likely to seek advice from the Law Ministry in this regard.
The Ministry is likely to seek the opinion of the Law Ministry on how it should go about the maintenance of Tatra trucks as supply of all-terrain vehicles from the UK-based company has been put on hold because of a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in their purchase, sources told PTI.
After getting the view of the Law Ministry, a final decision on the issue may be taken by the Ministry’s Defence Acquisition Council, they said here.
The issue of maintenance of these trucks is a key area for the armed forces as high-value assets such as strategic missiles and other heavy weapon systems are based on these vehicles.
After then Army Chief Gen V K Singh levelled bribery allegations in connection with procurement of Tatra trucks, Defence Minister A K Antony had ordered a CBI probe in the case.
Procurement of trucks from Tatra were put on hold after that and CBI has questioned several officials including the head of Tatra Vectra in this regard.
The Defence Ministry is also in the process of cancelling an order, placed after CBI began its probe, for one Tatra truck worth over Rs 50 lakh for meeting a DRDO requirement in May.
The Chairman of BEML, which was supplying these trucks in India in partnership with Tatra, has been suspended by the Ministry for ensuring a free and fair probe into the charges.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_problem-in-upkeep-of-tatra-trucks-defence-ministry_1746046