The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is facing a bill of Rs 94 lakh from a private contractor that had renovated the Club House at short notice before the India-Pakistan test match at Eden Gardens last year.
RDG Idea Pvt Ltd had been given the Club House work, expected to cost Rs 58 lakh. No tenders were called. RDG completed the work in two weeks as promised.
The CAB is said to have paid RDG Rs 28 lakh as advance and the rest during the renovation. However, a CAB insider said, RDG has placed a final bill for Rs 94 lakh.
CAB treasurer Tushar Sarkar said there was no time to float tenders. “We did not pay them anything as advance, but gave money from time to time during the work,” he said.
The CAB’s joint secretary, Samar Pal, said the finance committee has sanctioned Rs 1.5 crore for just such emergency work before any international event.
He said the claims would be assessed by a surveyor, and the finance committee would study its report before making the final payment.
RDG Idea’s director, Sagar Nag Ray, said his company has done good work for some Kolkata-based blue-chip companies and five-star hotels but this was its first job for the CAB.
He said CAB had called five big names but only his firm had agreed to the deadline.