JTNU-H shortlists infamous' firms for awarding marks

 Hyderabad: The Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, is all set to award the crucial contract of on-screen marking of answer scripts to companies that have been named in allegedly bungling and committing financial frauds.

Globarena Technologies, which bungled the results for the Intermediate exam of 2019, resulting in about 20 students dying by suicide, and its alleged partner-in-crime Magnetic Infotech were the only ones shortlisted for the tender for “digitisation of answer scripts and onscreen digital evaluation system”, according to the university website.

Globarena has changed its name to Coempt Edu Teck Private Limited.

Though the two companies had bid as separate entities their track record clearly established that both execute projects jointly.

For instance, according to the experience certificate issued by the Directorate of Evaluation, JNTU, Kakinada, Globarena along with its consortium partner Magnetic Infotech executed the online evaluation project. Sources said the same consortium also executed the project of the Board of Intermediate Education, Telangana.

The project executed by the consortium partners ran into rough weather in Kakinada. According to a case filed by JNTU-K in the Sarpavaram police station, the company failed to deliver quality content and evaded service tax.

The second, and perhaps most costly one, was its failure to build an efficient software to digitise all exam-related administrative work into one platform which took the lives of about 20 intermediate students and troubled over 3 lakh students for discrepancies in the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education results in 2019.

According to sources, Magnetic Infotech had quoted a price of Rs 15 per answer script for the OSM, when the current standard/market price is Rs 10. "The price quoted by the other company was higher, which seems to be an agreement made by the two parties," the source added.

The bid submissions close on November 26, with the financial bid stage on November 30. If the bids of either companies are accepted, it could cause serious damage to the students' future.

When asked, JNTU Registrar Dr M. Manzoor Hussain said that a technical committee was overseeing the process and would look into the matter.

“I am told that Magnetic Infotech, which has higher chances of being awarded the tender, is already involved in similar projects with the Polytechnic College. Anybody who has any queries related to this can meet the committee head or myself at the university. There is still time, as we will not be finalising anything until the elections are over," he added.

 PUTTING STUDENTS’ FUTURE AT STAKE

• JNTU-H invites tenders to digitise answer scripts and onscreen digital evaluation
• Two companies Coempt Edu Teck (previously known as Globarena Technologies) and Magnetic Infotech shortlisted
• Globarena Tech. named in the Intermediate 2019 results, which resulted in the death of about 20 students.
• Magnetic Infotech said to be an associate of Globarena, has track record of executing projects jointly.
• Deadline for bid submissions is November 26. The financial bid will be offered on November 30.
• JNTU Registrar  Dr M. Manzoor Hussain says technical committee is overseeing the process, tender will not be awarded until elections are over.