Sidhu suspends four SEs
Friday, 07/07/2017
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CHANDIGARH:: After highlighting that municipal works worth crores were allotted on single bids in the municipal corporations of Punjab by the former SAD-BJP government, local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has suspended four superintending engineers for awarding contacts on single or two bids.
Addressing the media on Thursday, Sidhu said prima facie it is clear that 50 per cent of the tenders worth crores were allotted on single bids in four municipal corporations of Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar.
"Four SEs, two of Ludhiana (Pawan Sharma and Dharam Singh) and one each of Amritsar (PK Goel) and Jalandhar (Kulwinder Singh), are being suspended pending investigations. As many as 513 works were allotted on single bids — half of total 1001 work orders which were scrutinised — in these three MCs,” he said.
He added that in Amritsar MC, civil works under Hridaya project worth ₹50 crore was awarded on single bid, another ₹24 crore worth work was awarded on single bid for urban mission in Amritsar and Rs 15 crore worth in MC of Jalandhar.
“We then got inspected funds received through Urban mission and Hridaya schemes. Based on the findings, a decision was taken to check contracts awarded by MCs of Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Bathinda too during 2016. It was found that the Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, which mandates that a house resolution is must for any work order above ₹25,000 had been violated,” he added.
The approval of the F&C committee of the municipal corporation too was not taken and the Central Vigilance Commission guidelines were also flouted.
