NEW DELHI: In a decision which could potentially escalate the standoff between the Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) VK Saxena and the city government, the former has approved action against two Public Works Department engineers under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988 even though no recommendation of such an action has been received from the department.
The personnel a junior engineer and an assistant engineers are accused of releasing payment to a contractor without proper verification in a road construction project dating back 2014-15. An executive engineer is also alleged of being a party in the case but the decision is pending in the National Capital Civil Services Authority as he is a Class A officer.
According to L-G House officials, the approval for registration of a case under the PC Act was given based on the findings of the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), which investigated the case, and recommendations from the Directorate of Vigilance. According to the officials, the three engineers were “prima facie” found guilty by the ACB. The L-G House officials said that senior PWD officials were shielding the accused and Saxena took an exception in the case by approving a case to be registered against them under the PC Act.
Besides, the L-G has also ordered action to be taken against the concerned officers of the PWD who allegedly tried to shield the accused, despite prima facie case being made out by the ACB against them. “On perusal of the facts and records of the case he is of the considered view that it is in the interest of justice to investigate the allegations after registering a case,” an official said.
The allegations are based on a complaint dated May 19, 2017 made by an NGO called ‘Roads Anti-Corruption Organization’ in which it was alleged that payments were made even as no work was done at the construction site for ‘strengthening of road and improvement of footpath, drainage system, central verge of EPDP Road (Malik Ram Issar Marg, New Delhi)’ in Kalkaji area.
The contract for the work of more than Rs 6.33 crore, 18.79 per cent below the estimated cost of Rs 7.8 crore, was awarded to a construction company. According to the PWD’s material inward register, the material was procured and received from various firms and the contractor submitted the invoices of the major material -- bitumen -- but the invoices of the other materials used in the construction were not submitted by him.
Invoices of purchase of construction material fake The ACB initiated an inquiry based on the complaint and found 18 invoices provided by PWD on account of purchase of construction material to be fake. The project was carried out by Executive Engineer RS Garg, Assistant Engineer J.S. Chauhan and Junior Engineer Devi Singh. According to officials, the approval for registration of a case under the PC Act was given based on the findings of the Anti-Corruption Branch.
