A case of corruption and indulging in unethical practice has been made against managing director of Samaj Kalyan Nirman Nigam (SKNN) VP Singh, with the state ombudsman. Interestingly, after finding the matter suspicious during primarily investigation, lokayukt Justice (retd), NK Mehrotra, now issued notices in this regard to the accused and sought their explanation regarding the allegations made on them.
Mehrotra when contacted on Tuesday, confirmed to have issued notices to the former MD of the SKNN and other officials but refused to give any further detail claiming that the matter is still under investigation. Sources confirmed that Central School head-quarter in New Delhi had approved a proposal of erecting buildings of two more Central Schools in Hardoi and Jaipur respectively. They made the SKNN as the working agency and issued letter to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and then dispatched it to Delhi so that final call could be made in the matter along with fixing of the budget.
Sources disclosed that as the MD of the said corporation was going to retire soon so in a hurry, he along with some other officials invited tender for the above work and allegedly engaged a private builder to carry out the work. To facilitate the builder, the said officer alleged to have made his company as `Strategic Partner’ of the project and also fixed the budget to Rs 25 crore for each building before floating the tenders. However, the move of the officials of SKNN reportedly exposed when the Central School head quarter, refused the proposal and asked SKNN that the total budget as per their plan is just Rs 15 crore per building so they must send the DPR accordingly.
However, after learning of the above decision and cut in the budget for construction, the said private builder reportedly asked the officials of SKNN that he could not do the project in Rs 15 crore so his proposal should be returned. He also reportedly asked to return the `consideration’ he paid to get the tender. Finding themselves in trouble, the SKNN officials tried to convince the builder that they will get the budget increase. They also claimed to have already requested the Central School head-quarter to increase the budget to Rs 20 crore citing that they already floated tenders on Rs 15 crore but no one had made the bid.
Sources further said that after waiting for a year hoping of some `adjustment’ the said builder contacted lokayukt, NK Mehrotra and submitted a complaint against then MD of SKNN, VP Singh and others. However, he not mentioned of the `consideration’ which he reportedly made to get the favour, but just raised the question against SKNN officials asking that why they floated tenders when even the DPR or the budget for the project has been not approved by Central School head-quarter and that when the SKNN was already made the working agency for the purpose so why they engaged him as `strategic partner’.