Barmer, Oct. 31 -- The Barmer district administration has ordered a comprehensive probe into allegations of large-scale fraud in the grant of manpower tenders at the district medical college and attached hospital, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday. After a complaint pertaining to the matter was received, Barmer district collector Tina Dabi constituted a seven-member committee headed by sub-divisional offficer (SDM) Yasharth Shekhar to investigate the matter, said officials, adding that as per the committee's preliminary report, the college administration allegedly colluded with private contractors to award manpower tenders to a private firm through a procedure that flouted several governmental norms. Despite having an annual turnover of only Rs.4 lakh, the firm was granted the Rs.9 crore contract, they added. According to Shekhar, significant irregularities had been detected during the inquiry. He alleged that the entire tender process was conducted in an irregular and opaque manner. "Eligibility and registration of the firms were not properly verified, mandatory checks were ignored, and compliance with EPF and labor laws was completely overlooked," he said, adding that the procurement committee approved the tender without scrutinising essential documents. Evidence of forged documents and financial misappropriation also surfaced during the enquiry, said Shekhar. He added that the committee had also recommended a separate high-level verification of all contractual employees' documents to assess the authenticity of their appointments and qualifications. Taking cognizance of the serious irregularities, the state government has removed Medical College principal Dr. Arvind Kishore Chandora from his post with immediate effect and handed over additional charge to Dr. Anoop Singh Gurjar, said officials aware of the developments. The investigation would continue and that a detailed report will soon be submitted to the district collector, the officials quoted above added....