A notice by the Bengal public works department inviting quotations has curiously been cancelled “due to administrative reason”.

The tender issued on July 11 had specified the “Name of Work” thus: “Temporary E.I. (electrical installation) work for ‘Mass meeting of Trinamool Congress styled as Sahid Diwas on 21st July, 2019 at Esplanade, Kolkata’ of Maidan Electrical Section-II, PWD.”

The PWD tender was referring to the most important annual event on the calendar of the ruling Trinamul, which commemorates the deaths of 13 Youth Congress activists in police firing in 1993. The day is observed as Martyrs’ Day by Trinamul, marked by a huge rally where chief minister Mamata Banerjee usually sets the political agenda.

On Monday evening, The Telegraph had sent a copy of the tender to the PWD secretary, Arnab Roy, over WhatsApp, requesting comment on whether the PWD could invite bids to install facilities for a political programme. No reply was given.

However, within hours, a memo was uploaded on the PWD website under the title “Quotation cancellation Notice”.

The memo read: “Due to administrative reason the Quotation No. 18/Q of 2019-20, (Name of Work: Temporary E.I. work for ‘Mass meeting of Trinamool Congress styled as Sahid Diwas on 21st July, 2019 at Esplanade, Kolkata’ of Maidan Electrical Section-II, PWD) and 19/Q of 2019-20, (Name of Work: Temporary E.I. work for ‘Mass meeting of Trinamool Congress styled as Sahid Diwas on 21st July, 2019 at Esplanade, Kolkata’ of Maidan Electrical Section-IV, PWD) is here by cancelled.”

Sources said the notice had drawn comment from a section of officials on July 13 itself.

The tender became a point of discussion at Nabanna on July 13 when some officials noticed it. Some officials concluded that the PWD could not install facilities for a political programme and informed the top brass. “The tender was cancelled on Monday night but it should not end with that. A probe must be conducted,” an official said.

The officials said the PWD did have a role to play in all programmes, including political ones, which would be attended by the Prime Minister or the chief minister.

“The department has to check the dais and electrical arrangements and issue a fit certificate before the programme. But it cannot invite tenders and spend public money to install facilities for such programmes,” said an official.

Ideally, the official said, Trinamul should have engaged an agency to install the facilities and the PWD been informed once the work was complete to check the arrangements for the required clearance.

A minister described the notice seeking quotations as “a mistake” by a section of officials.