WP(C) 1728/2007 BEFORE HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE B.K. SHARMA The petitioner is aggrieved by Annexure-N letter dated 31.03.07 by which Baghbor-Goalpara Ferry Service was directly settled with the respondent No. 5 p urportedly as per the provision of Rule 4 (2) of the Control and Management of F erry Rules, 1968. The settlement was made for a period of three years, effective from taking over charge upto 31.03.08 for an amount of Rs. 4,80,000/-. It is t he case of the petitioner that since the bid value offered by him was higher tha n the aforesaid amount of Rs. 4,80,000/- offered by the respondent No. 5, the se ttlement ought to have been made with him at his bid value of Rs. 4,85,000/-. In the counter affidavit filed by the respondents on 01.10.08, it is t heir stand that the original records pertaining to the settlement of ferry servi ce are missing since 03.09.07. As per the said affidavit, the records have been stolen. In the further affidavit filed on 21.11.08, the respondents have stated that in absence of the records it is not discernible as to whether technical an d administrative opinion of the Director, Inland Water Transport and Ship Servic e was taken or not in giving direct settlement to the respondent No. 5. In view of the above, learned counsel for the parties submit that since it is not discernible as to whether the settlement in question was made by follo wing due procedure, it will be appropriate to issue direction to settle ferry se rvice afresh as per the established procedure. As noted above, the petitioner offered bid value of Rs. 4,85,000/-, but the authority settled the ferry service with the respondent No. 5 at Rs. 4,80,0 00/-. In spite of service of notice, there is no response from the respondent No . 5. For the foregoing reasons and as agreed to by the learned counsel for the partie s, the writ petition is disposed of interfering with the impugned order dated 3 1.03.07 (Annexure-N) with the direction to the respondents to settle the ferry s ervice afresh in accordance with law.