In its first major crackdown on the babudom soon after 100 days of governance, the Punjab Government on Thursday affirmed initiation of action against three IAS officers in an alleged multi-crore scam hovering around the floating of tenders for municipal works. It also placed the services of four superintending engineers (SEs) under suspension.
“It’s just a tip of an iceberg,” said the State local Government Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, adding that the decision will act as a deterrent.
At the same time, Sidhu declared that his Department would also be carrying out an audit “on a large scale”.
Sidhu asserted that “astounding” disclosures were made by the Department’s Chief Vigilance Officer Sudeep Manak after scrutinising about 1000 files of just four municipal corporations of Amritsar, Jalandhar, ludhiana, and Bathinda for just one year — 2016.
“Out of total Rs 800 crore tenders for municipal works, Rs 500 crore tenders were allotted on a single bid in complete violation of laid down rules,” said Sidhu.
Maintaining that he has “right away” suspended four SEs, two from ludhiana and one each from Amritsar and Jalandhar, for violating rules, Sidhu said that his Department would soon sent a detailed chargesheet against three IAS officers to the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary for necessary action.
“I have taken action as far as my jurisdiction is concerned…some are not in my purview. So we will be sending chargesheet against IAS officers — Sonali Giri, Ghanshayam Thori, and GS Khera —in the next three-four days with all proofs as they were the competent authority to approve these tenders,” he said.
Giri, Thori and Khera were the then Commissioners of MC of Amritsar, ludhiana, and Jalandhar respectively. The SEs, whose services have been placed under suspension are PK Goel (Amritsar), Kulwinder Singh (Jalandhar), Pawan Sharma and Dharam Singh (ludhiana).
“The SEs will be given a chance to be heard within a week,” Sidhu said.
Sidhu said that the local Government Department’s vigilance team found that the large number of work orders were awarded based on single bid in Amritsar Municipal Corporation, and then the scope of inspection was extended to ludhiana, Bathinda, and Jalandhar’s corporations where civil work orders for 2016 were inspected.
It was found that Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, has been violated wherein the House resolution is a must for any work order above Rs 25,000. “Approval of Corporation’s Finance Committee has not been taken for majority work order scrutinised while awarding the contract, and even the CVC guidelines have been violated which call for written detailed justification in such cases,” he added.
“Prima facie, it is clear that more than 50 percent of the tenders of hundreds of crores have been allotted on single bid violating MC laws, CVC guidelines and local government circulars,” he said.
Sidhu maintained that he had got departmental inquiry conducted, and ordering vigilance inquiry is on the Chief Minister.